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Hornn/bal     a/^a/  3 f.  Joseph 
JRotAroad  Com  pony 


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XI  B  RAP.Y 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

or    ILLINOIS 


WWOB  RiSTOSIMl  SDII^ 


sasarrr? 


y  '.'    tub:  ,.--^y 

HANNIBAL  AND  ST.  JOSEPH  RAILROAD  COMPANY 

HAVE  RECEIVED  BY   GRANT  FROM   CONGRKSS 

OVER  600,000  ACRES 

OF  THE  CHOICEST 

FMll  &  WOOD  LAIS. 

THE  GREATER   PORTION   OP   WHICH    IS   NOW  IN   THE   MARKET, 

AND   TUE   REMAINDER    WILL    BE   OFFERED    FROM 

TIME   TO   TIME. 

SALES  WILL  BE  MADE  BY  ACREEME^'T 

IN  LOTS  TO  SUIT  PURCHASERS, 

o.v 

TEX  YEARS  T13IE  AND  FIVE  PER   CENT.  INTEREST. 


THESE   LANDS   ARE  SITUATED   ON   EACH   SIDE,    AND    WITHIN   FIFTEEN 

MILES     OF    THE     HANNIBAL     AND    ST.     JOSEPH     RAILROAD, 

EXTENDING   ENTIRELY   ACROSS   TUE    STATE,   IN 


:i>TOi^T£iEi^i>T  zsj:issoxji^X- 


HANNIBAL,    MO.: 
HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSKPH    RAILROAD    OFFICE. 

1859. 


PRESS   OF    GEO.    C.    RAND    &    AVERY,    CORNHILL,    BOSTON. 


1>4^^- 


^^,     CAKOi/Y 


^    (0" 


UANNIBAL  &S^JO!jEPH 

I  N 


CNCR  ON  WOOD  BY    W   MACKWITZ. 


A> 


'l^lt^    '         f^-^^.<*-t^<^  y/^t^-^C^   -ii^^ 


THE 


HANNIBAL  AND  ST.  JOSEPH  RAILROAD  COMPANY 

HAVE  RECEIVED  BY   GRANT  FROM   CONGRESS 

OVER  600,000  ACRES 

OF  THE  CUOICEST 

FARll  I  WOOD  LAIS, 

THE   GREATER   PORTION   OF   WHICH  IS   NOW  IN   THE   MARKET, 

AND   THE   REMAINDER   WILL    BE    OFFERED    FROM 

TIME   TO   TIME. 

SALES  WILL  BE  MADE  BY  AGREEMENT 

E^  LOTS  TO  SUIT  PURCHASERS, 

OK 

TEN  YEARS  TDIE  AND  FIVE  PER   CENT.  INTEREST. 


THESE    LANDS   ARE  SITUATED   ON   EACH   SIDE,    AND    WITHIN   FIFTEEN 

MILES     OF    THE     HANNIBAL     AND    ST.     JOSEPH     RAILROAD, 

EXTENDING   ENTIRELY   ACROSS   THE    STATE,   IN 


Dc<roi^TXiEi^isr  is^issoxmr. 


HANNIBAL,    MO.: 
HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH    RAILROAD    OFFICE. 

1860. 


NOTE. 

It  has  been  found  impossible  to  answer  the  large  number 
of  letters  that  are  daily  received,  in  reference  to  these  lands. 
To  such,  this  Pamphlet  will  be  sent,  in  reply  to  the  questions 
asked. 


r 


3. 


It-'UL, 


600,000    ACRES 

OP 

HANNIBAL  &  ST.  JOSEPH 

MILKOAD   LANDS, 

IN 


NOTICE    TO    PURCHASERS. 

The  Lands  offered  for  sale  by  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph 
Railroad  Company,  were  granted  by  the  United  States  to  the 
State  of  Missouri,  by  Act  of  Congress,  approved  June  10th,  1852. 

By  an  additional  act,  approved  August  3d,  1854,  it  was  pro- 
vided, that  the  Certificate  of  the  Land  Commissioner  should 
vest  the  title  in  fee  to  the  lands  so  certified,  so  far  as  embraced 
within  the  grant. 

By  an  act,  bearing  date  September  20th,  1852,  the  State  of 
Missouri  provided,  "  that  all  that  portion  of  the  lands  granted 
to  this  State,  by  the  act  of  Congress,"  above  referred  to,  "  so 
far  as  the  same  are  applicable  to  the  construction  of  a  Railroad 
from  the  town  of  Hannibal  to  the  town  of  St.  Joseph,  together 

(3) 

59735 


4  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH 

with  all  the  rights  and  privileges  thereto  belonging,  or  in  said 
act  granted,  shall  vest  in  full  and  complete  title  in  the  Hanni- 
bal and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company." 

The  only  conditions  remaining  to  be  considered,  are  con- 
tained in  the  fifth  section  of  the  act  of  Congress,  making  the 
grant,  and  are  as  follows : 

"  That  the  Lands  hereby  granted  to  said  .State,  shall  be  dis- 
posed of  by  said  State,  only  in  manner  following,  that  is  to 
say : — That  a  quantity  of  land,  not  exceeding  one  hundred 
and  twenty  sections  on  each  road,  and  included  within  a  con- 
tinuous length  of  twenty  miles  of  said  road,  may  be  sold  ;  and 
when  the  Governor  of  said  State  shall  certify  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior,  that  said  twenty  miles  of  said  road  is  com- 
pleted, then  another  like  quantity  of  land,  hereby  granted,  may 
be  sold,  and  so  from  time  to  time,  until  said  road  is  com- 
pleted ;  and  if  said  road  be  not  completed  within  ten  years, 
no  further  sale  shall  be  made,  and  the  land  unsold  shall  revert 
to  the  United  States." 

The  entire  road  being  now  completed  and  opened  for  use, 
the  principal  portion  of  these  lands  are  offered  for  sale,  and 
the  remainder  will  be  put  in  market  from  time  to  time,  as  the 
necessary  examination  and  appraisal  can  be  made. 

By  permission  of  the  State,  granted  in  the  act  of  September 
20th,  1852,  all  of  these  lands  have  been  mortgaged  to  Trus- 
tees, to  secure  the  payment  of  the  Bonds  of  the  Company,  to 
the  amount  of  $5,000,000. 

As  among  the  conditions  of  this  mortgage,  it  is  provided, 
that  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company,  "  shall 
be,  at  all  times,  at  liberty  to  contract  for  the  sale  of  any  of 
the  divisions  or  parcels  of  said  land,  and  upon  the  payment 
of  such  purchase  money  to  said  parties  of  the  second  part, 
(the  Trustees,)  said  parties  of  the  second  part,  or  any  two  of 
them,  shall,  by  proper  deeds  or  instruments  by  them  executed, 
join  in  a  release  and  conveyance  of  such  parcel  or  parcels  of 
land,  to  the  purchasers  thereof."  f 

Such  conveyance  by  the  Trustees  and  the  Company  jointly, 
would  constitute  a  perfect  and  indefeasible  title  to  the  land  so 
conveyed. 


RAILROAD  LANDS.  P 

"WTien  payment  is  made  in  full,  the  purchaser  at  onco  obtains 
hi3  title.  If  the  sale  is  on  credit,  the  title  is  not  given  until 
final  payment  is  made,  but  the  purchaser  receives  a  contract, 
stipulating  that  such  title  will  be  given  on  full  payment  and 
compliance  with  the  conditions  specified  therein. 

Payment  for  lands  purchased,  can  bo  made  in  the  Land 
Bonds  of  the  Company,  or  in  cash ;  and,  if  in  the  latter,  it  is 
applied  to  the  purchase  of  sucVBonds,  and  the  particular  tract 
is  at  once  exempt  from  liability,  and  a  perfect  title  given — 
being,  in  fact,  the  first  conveyance  under  the  authority  of  the 
General  Government. 

From  this  it  appears,  that  while  the  Bondholders  are  se- 
oured,  the  rights  of  purchasers  are  also  amply  protected. 

JOSIAH  HUNT, 
Land  Commissioner  H.  &  St.  Jo.  R.  R. 


HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 


.      DESCHIPTION   OF   ROAD 
AND    LOCATIOJST    OF    LAND 


The  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  commences  at  Han- 
nibal, on  the  Mississippi  River,  and  follows  a  general  course, 
nearly  West,  across  the  northern  part  of  the  State  of  Missouri, 
to  St.  Joseph,  on  the  Missouri  River.  Its  entire  length  is 
two  hundred  and  six  miles. 

The  Lands  granted  to  the  Company  are  contained  in  alternate 
sections  of  one  mile  square,  within  a  breadth  of  fifteen  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  road.  Through  some  of  them  the  road  passes, 
and  other  portions  vary  in  distance  from  one  to  fifteen  miles. 

At  the  time  the  grant  was  made  by  Congress,  all  the  re- 
maining Government  Lands  were  fixed  at  a  minimum  price  of 
$2.50  per  acre.  These  were  rapidly  sold,  and  are  now  owned 
by  individuals.  On  most  of  them  considerable  progress  has 
been  made  in  settlement  and  cultivation. 

Any  person  now  settling  on  the  lands  of  the  Company,  will 
find  it  widely  different  from  a  new  country,  as  at  no  point  will 
neighbors  be  very  far  distant ;  while  there  are  many  villages  and 
cities,  ranging  from  a  few  hundred  to  three  thousand  inhabitants, 
all  of  which  are  rapidly  increasing  in  size  and  importance. 

Wherever  depots  are  established  on  the  road,  a  village  at  once 
springs  up,  with  shops,  stores,  mills,  etc.,  affording  great  con- 
venience to  the  surrounding  country. 

The  road  was  opened  for  use  throughout  its  entire  length,  in 
February,  1859,  and  is  now  in  successful  operation,  doing  a 
large  and  rapidly  increasing  business,  both  in  freight  and 
passengers. 


RAILROAD  LANDS.  7 

CONNECTING    ROADS. 

Railroads  are  now  in  progress  from  Palmyra  to  Quincy, 
twelve  miles,  and  from  Hannibal  to  Naples,  forty  miles.  The 
first  will  afford  direct  Railroad  communication  with  Chicago, 
and  the  second  connecting  at  Naples,  with  the  Great  Western 
Road  of  Illinois,  will  furnish  another  direct  communication 
with  the  East,  and  all  States  bordering  on  the  Ohio  River. 

Both  of  these  roads,  it  is  expected,  will  be  completed  in 
1859.  The  North  Missouri  Railroad  is  now  open  to  Hudson, 
where  it  connects  with  the  11.  and  St.  Jo.  Railroad,  about 
seventy  miles  west  of  Hannibal,  furnishing  a  railroad  connec- 
tion with  St.  Louis,  which  Avill  be  of  great  advantage  during 
the  short  time  navigation  is  suspended  in  the  winter. 

From  St.  Joseph,  roads  are  projected,  running  north  and 
south,  and  in  various  directions  into  Kansas.  Some  of  these 
have  liberal  grants  to  aid  in  their  construction,  and  no  doubt 
will  soon  be  built. 

Daily  lines  of  passenger  steamboats  run  from  St.  Joseph,  in 
connection  with  the  Railroad,  to  Leavenworth  and  Kansas  City 
on  the  south,  and  to  Omaha  and  Council  Bluff  on  the  north. 


PRICES   AND   TERMS   OF   PAYMENT. 

The  price  will  vary,  according  to  quality  of  soil  and  location. 
Excellent  Farming  Lands  will  be  sold,  at  prices  ranging  from 
$5  to  §20  per  acre,  and  contracts  for  deeds  may  be  made, 
providing,  that  the  purchase  money  shall  be  paid  in  nine  annual 
installments;  the  first,  in  two  years  from  the  date  of  the  con- 
tract. Five  per  cent,  interest  will  be  charged,  payable  yearly, 
in  advance,  the  first  payment  of  interest  being  made,  on  the 
day  of  the  purchase,  thus  extendtnq  the  time  of  payment, 

OVER   A    PERIOD    OF    TEN    YEARS,    WITH     ONLY    YTVE    PER    CENT. 
INTEREST. 

That  every  one  may  fully  understand  the  terms  proposed, 
vre  give  the  statement  of  account,  with  the  purchaser  of  eighty 


8  HANNIBAL  AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

acres  of  land,  on  the  Ist  of  August,  1859,  at  ten  dollars  per 
acre,  amounting  to  $800 : 


Aug.  1,  1859 — Paid  one  year's  interest  on  §800 
at  5  per  cent.,  and  received  con- 
tract for  deed, §40  00 

"'    1,  1860 — Paid  one  year's  interest  as  above,  40  00 

"     1,  1861 — Paid  first  installment  of  purchase 

money,  being  one-ninth  of  §800,  §88  89 
"     1,     "    — Paid  one  year's  interest  on  bal- 
ance due,  §711 11,  as  above,     .  35  55-124  44 
«     1,  1862— Paid  second  installment,    .     .     .  88  89 
«     1,     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §622  22  31 11-120  00 
"     1,  1863— Paid  third  installment,      .     .     .  88  89 
«     1^     "    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §533  33  26  66-115  55 
"     1,  1864— Paid  fourth  installment,    .     .     .  88  89 
«     1^     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §444  44  22  22-111 11 
"     1,  1865— Paid  fifth  installment,       .     .     .  88  89 
«     1^     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §355  55  17  78-106  67 
«     1,  1866— Paid  sixth  installment,      .     .     .  88  89 
«     1,     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §266  66  13  33-102  22 
«     1,  1867— Paid  seventh  installment, .     .     .  88  89 
«     1^     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on  §177  77     8  89—97  78 
"     1, 1868— Paid  eighth  installment,    .     .     .  88  89 
«     1,     «    —Paid  one  year's  int.  on    §88  89     4  45—93  34 
"     1,  1869 — Paid  ninth  installment,  and  re- 
ceived deed, 88  89 

§1040  00 

The  Company  desire  to  encourage  settlement  upon  their 
lands,  of  those  who  -ffill  cultivate  the  soil  and  make  themselves 
homes,  and  will  holdout  no  inducements  to  the  mere  speculator. 
To  secure  this  result  the  purchasers  on  long  credit,  will  be 
required  to  fence  and  cultivate,  each  year,  for  the  first  three 
years,  not  less  than  one-tenth  of  the  land  purchased.  Where 
purchasers  prefer  to  make  payments  in  cash,  or  one-third  in 


BAILROAD   LA1«DS.  9 

cash  and  the  balance  in  two  equal  annual  payments,  with 
interest,  at  ten  per  cent.,  a  discount  will  be  made  of  twenty 
per  cent.,  on  the  price  for  the  long  time,  with  low  interest. 

The  Land  Bonds  of  the  Company  will  be  taken  in  payment, 
and  considered  as  cash. 

This  will  place  it  in  the  power  of  persons  of  the  most 
moderate  means,  to  obtain  for  themselves  a  home,  while  those 
■who  have  money,  will  find  great  advantage  in  investing  it  in 
improvements  and  stock. 

Farmers  here,  well  qualified  to  judge,  express  the  opinion 
that  the  liberal  terms  of  payment  proposed,  aff'ord  an  advan- 
tage to  purchasers  equal  to  fifty  per  cent.,  added  to  the  price 
of  lands  sold  for  cash. 

Every  judicious  person  seeking  a  home  at  the  "West,  will 
compare  the  different  localities,  as  to  their  adaptation  to  differ- 
ent crops,  whether  the  soil  and  subsoil  are  such  as  to  render 
them  permanently  productive,  or  otherwise — as  to  healthfulness 
of  climate,  and  especially  their  position  with  regard  to  a 
market  and  the  expense  of  transportation. 

Local  and  temporary  causes,  or  speculative  feeling,  may 
often  in  a  new  country,  produce  an  unnatural  activity  for  a 
time,  but  they  can  not  be  relied  upon  for  permanent  advance- 
ment and  prosperity. 

ADVANTAGES    OF  POSITION. 

For  natural  advantages,  this  region  of  country  stands  un- 
equaled.  Its  latitude  is  the  same  as  the  southern  portion  of 
Pennsylvania,  giving  it  a  climate  at  the  same  time  removed 
from  the  severe  cold  and  long  winters  of  the  North,  and  from 
the  hot  and  relaxing  influences  of  the  South.  It  is  widely 
distant  both  from  the  ocean  and  those  immense  bodies  of  fresh 
water,  forming  the  great  lakea  of  the  interior.  As  a  result, 
the  air  is  dryer,  the  storms  of  rain  are  short,  and  it  is  exempt 
from  those  long  and  drizzly  seasons  of  wet  weather,  so  annoy- 
ing to  the  farmer,  in  many  parts  of  the  country,  while  there  ia 
an  abundance  of  rain  for  useful  purposes. 


10  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH. 

This  dryness  of  the  atmosphere  and  mildness  of  climate 
render  it  peculiarly  adapted  to  be  the  residence  of  those  pre- 
disposed to  pulmonary  diseases,  many  of  whom,  rapidly  recorer 
under  its  influence,  and  become  hale  and  robust. 


IT  IS  EXTREMELY  WELL  WATERED. 

A  glance  at  the  maps,  shows  it  intersected  by  numerous 
streams,  many  of  which  afford  water  power.  There  are  fre- 
quent springs,  and  where  additional  supplies  are  wanted  for 
stock,  the  subsoil  is  of  such  a  character,  that  pools  can  be 
easily  formed  which  will  afford  an  abundant  supply  for  the 
entire  year.  Generally  good  wells  can  be  obtained  at  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet. 

Persons  locating  in  elevated  places  have  only  to  dig  in  the 
earth  to  form  a  cistern,  which,  in  most  cases,  even  without  a 
lining  of  cement,  will  hold  an  abundance  of  water  for  family 
use  of  the  best  character. 


ROLLING   AND   HEALTHY. 

Unlike  Illinois,  and  much  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  the  face 
of  the  country  is  quite  rolling.  This  allows  the  surplus  water 
to  drain  off,  which  would  otherwise  stagnate  and  induce  dis- 
ease ;  and,  consequently,  it  is  more  healthy  than  Indiana  and 
Illinois,  and  other  places  where  the  surface  is  generally  level. 


IT   IS   WELL  WOODED. 

Probably  there  is  no  place  where  fuel  can  not  be  had  within 
a  distance  of  from  four  to  five  miles,  and,  generally,  an  abund- 
ant supply  may  be  found  near  at  hand,  not  only  for  fuel  but 
for  fencing,  which  greatly  diminishes  the  cost  of  improving  a 
^arm,  and  really  adds  several  dollars  per  acre  to  its  value. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  11 


SHELTER  FROM  THE  PRAIRIE  WIND. 

There  is  another  great  advantage  growing  out  of  the  uneven 
surface  of  the  country,  in  connection  with  the  supply  of  timhcr. 
They  afford  protection  from  the  piercing  vrinds  of  winter, 
■wliich,  sweeping  over  the  level  prairies  of  the*  west,  where  not 
a  hill  or  a  tree  affords  a  shelter,  render  life  there  sometimes 
almost  insupportable  ;  and  many  who  have  made  such  locations 
without  consideration,  are  now  seeking  to  exchange  them  for 
those  more  sheltered. 

Any  one  who  has  attempted  to  cross  any  lake  or  large  pond 
in  a  boisterous  winter  day,  can  form  some  idea  of  the  diffi- 
culties referred  to,  especially  when  he  considers  that  not  only 
the  house  and  its  inmates  are  thus  exposed,  but  generally  the 
domestic  animals.  Barns  in  the  newer  portions  of  the  West 
are  rarely  found,  especially  where  the  unbroken  prairie  fur- 
nishes no  timber  for  their  construction. 


CENTRAL  POSITION. 

It  lies  in  the  very  heart  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the 
Continent,  and  yet  is  embraced  by  two  of  the  most  noble 
Rivers  of  the  earth ;  and  by  means  of  them  and  their  tribu- 
taries, connects  with  an  inland  navigation  of  unequaled  extent. 

The  Mississippi  River,  styled  "The  Father  of  Waters,"  is 
seldom  long  obstructed  with  ice,  and  affords  an  outlet  to  the 
Gulf,  and  communication  with  the  Atlantic  Ports,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  world. 

The  opening  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  in 
connection  with  the  natural  advantages  referred  to,  places  this 
region  in  a  position,  unefjualed  by  any  other  portion  of  the 
country. 


12  HANNIBAL  AND   ST.   JOSEPH 


SOIL. 

Bottom  Land. — There  is  considerable  variety  in  the  soil. 
First,  there  are  the  bottom  lands  bordering  the  numerous 
streams.  In  other  parts  of  the  country,  these  would  be  called 
"  Intervals  "  or  "  meadows."  They  are  nearly  level,  and  some 
of  them  several  miles  in  width.  The  soil  is  a  rich  alluvial 
deposit,  of  great  depth,  and  inexhaustible  fertility,  partially 
covered  with  wood.  Though  at  present,  these  lands  are  not  so 
much  regarded,  yet  at  no  distant  day,  they  will  be  considered 
among  the  most  valuable  in  the  country,  and  will  produce  the 
largest  crops  of  hemp. 

Upland. — The  upland  depends  very  much  for  its  character, 
upon  the  subsoil.  The  vegetable  mold,  very  rich  and  dark, 
varies  in  depth  from  one  to  three  feet,  and  is  often  deeper.  A 
large  part  of  the  subsoil  is  of  a  stiff,  hard  character,  almost 
impervious  to  water,  but  compounded  of  such  fertile  elements, 
that  when  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  air,  it  becomes  pulver- 
ized and  produces  almost  any  .crop  abundantly.  On  such 
soils  deep  plowing  only  is  required  to  develop  its  fertility  to 
any  extent.  Soil  like  this,  will  produce  the  most  abundant 
crops  without  diminution,  as  is  found  by  experience,  while 
those  based  on  loose  material,  as  sand  or  gravel,  will  soon 
show  a  diminished  yield,  unless  kept  in  condition  by  manure. 

There  are  other  soils  of  similar  character  as  to  the  vegetable 
mold,  where  the  subsoil  is  more  porous.  These  are  best 
adapted  to  the  culture  of  Hemp,  and  produce  the  best  Tobacco. 

Occasionally  the  surface  is  too  much  broken  for  general  cul- 
tivation, but  this  affords  excellent  pasture,  and  will  be  valuable 
for  raising  stock.  It  is  also  believed  that  Grapes  will  be  cul- 
tivated on  the  slopes  to  great  advantage,  as  they  now  are  on 
similar  land  in  other  parts  of  the  State. 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  18 

PRODUCTIONS. 

Corn  is  a  leading  article  of  production.  Very  little  labor 
is  bestowed  upon  its  cultivation,  and  the  average  yield  is  not 
less  than  fifty  bushels  per  acre,  in  ordinary  seasons ;  while 
those  who  give  more  attention  to  the  conditions  required  for  a 
good  crop,  readily  obtain  from  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  bushels  per  acre.  The  growth  is  very  luxuriant, 
and  it  is  not  uncommon  to  see  fields  where  the  stalks  average 
fifteen  feet  in  hight. 

Wheat. — It  is  most  admirably  adapted  to  the  culture  of 
wheat,  which  succeeds  best  on  the  hill  slopes  and  poorer  soils, 
as  it  runs  too  much  to  straw,  and  lodges  on  the  richest  land, 
until  cropped  for  a  few  years  in  corn  or  tobacco. 

Owing  to  peculiarities  of  soil  and  climate,  in  nearly  all  that 
region,  finding  a  market  at  Chicago,  is  cultivated  the  Spring 
Wheat.  Here,  Winter  Wheat  is  raised  almost  exclusively,  and 
the  quality  is  nowhere  surpassed.  The  advantages  from  this 
are  important.  In  sowing  and  harvesting,  it  interferes  less 
with  other  crops.  It  comes  into  market  in  time  to  secure  the 
highest  prices  usually  paid  for  new  wheat.  The  yield  per 
acre  is  from  three  to  five  bushels  more  than  Spring  Wheat, 
while  the  market  price  is  greater  on  the  different  varieties, 
from  ten  to  over  forty  cents  per  bushel,  and  may  be  considered 
as  averaging  fully  twent3'-five  cents  advance. 

Other  Grains,  Potatoes,  etc. — For  the  culture  of  Oats, 
Rye,  Barley,  and  other  crops,  usually  raised  in  the  more 
Northern  States,  this  region  is  well  adapted,  and  large  returns 
are  realized. 

The  common,  and  also  sweet  potatoes,  are  produced  abund- 
antly. Flax  does  remarkably  well,  and  two  tons  of  hay  to  the 
acre,  is  but  an  ordinary  crop. 

Hemp. — Hemp  is  less  exhausting  to  the  soil  than  almost  any 
other  crop,  and  may  be  cultivated  indefinitely  without  manure. 


14  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

Instances  can  easily  be  cited,  where  it  has  been  grown  upon 
the  same  land  for  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  with  undiminished 
success.  The  profits  of  this  crop  after^  paying  all  expense  of 
cultivation,  average  §20  to  §25  per  acre,  and  are  often  twice 
that  amount. 

Good  hemp  lands  near  the  rivers  are  now  held  at  from  §50 
to  §100  per  acre  by  the  farmers ;  and  the  opening  of  the  Rail- 
road will  soon  make  much  of  the  similar  land  along  the  line 
of  equal  value. 

Diminished  cost  of  transportation,  and  the  introduction  of 
machinery  to  perform  the  operation  of  breaking,  will  add 
largely  to  the  profits  heretofore  realized  from  this  crop. 


Tobacco. — This  crop  is  already  extensively  cultivated,  and 
with  great  success.  The  lands  of  Macon  county  are  considered 
equal  to  the  best  in  Kentucky  and  Virginia  for  its  production. 
Many  other  localities  along  the  line  of  road  are  not  inferior 
to  this. 

Less  care  has  been  bestowed  upon  this  crop  than  its  import- 
ance deserves,  and,  consequently,  the  article  sent  to  market 
is  not  usually  of  the  best  quality;  still  the  ordinary  net  pro- 
fits have  been  from  §25  to  §30  per  acre. 

To  give  an  idea  of  the  profits  sometimes  realized,  we  will 
state  that  the  ordinary  yield  is  1,000  pounds  per  acre,  but 
often  reaches  1,600  and  2,000  pounds,  and  even  2,100  pounds 
is  obtained. 

The  crop  of  1856  sold  in  Hannibal,  at  an  average  of  ten 
cents  per  pound,  although  an  average  price  for  ten  years,  has 
been  nearer  six  cents.  This  would  make  the  production  of  an 
acre  sometimes  exceed  §200. 

It  may  be  cultivated  by  men  of  small  means,  as  no  outlay 
of  capital  is  required,  and  much  of  the  labor  can  be  done  by 
children.  One  man  will  cultivate  five  acres  in  tobacco  besides 
sufficient  of  other  crops  to  support  his  family. 


RAILROAD   LANDS. 


15 


This  crop  is  more  exhausting  to  the  soil,  but  is  followed  well 
by  wheat.  The  manure  of  the  farm  should  be  saved  and 
applied  to  the  tobacco  field.  This,  with  "rotation,"  keeps  the 
land  in  good  condition. 

It  always  sells  for  cash,  and  the  traders  say  "  Tobacco 
growers  are  good  paymasters." 

STOCK    RAISING. 

Probably  no  part  of  the  country  affords  equal  advantages 
for  the  rearing  of  stock. 

There  arc  still  extensive  ranges  of  the  richest  pasture,  with 
abundance  of  water  and  wood  to  shelter  from  heat  and  storms. 
Tlie  bottoms  furnish  feed  both  earlier  and  later  than  the  up- 
lands, and  the  short  mild  winters  require  but  little  provision 
for  their  support.  The  difference  between  Missouri  and  other 
States  is  very  material,  as  shown  by  the  census  returns  of  1850. 
If  we  consider  eight  sheep  as  equal  to  one  cow,  in  the  hay 
consumed,  and  add  the  returns  of  horses,  mules,  oxen,  cows, 
and  other  cattle,  we  find  the  following  result : 


STATES. 

TONS  OF  n\T. 

KO.  OF  ANIMALS. 

KG.  OF  LBS.  TO 

Missouri, 

116,925 

1,153,810' 

202 

Iowa, 

89,025 

194,656 

915 

Illinois, 

601,952 

1,302,017 

925 

Michigan, 

404,93-4 

426,377 

1,899 

Wisconsin, 

275,662 

229,380 

2,404 

Maine, 

755,889 

441,562 

3,424 

Massachusetts, 

651,807 

325,825 

4,001 

This  shows  conclusively  the  superiority  of  Missouri  for 
stock  growing. 

Farmers  here  are  turning  their  attention  to  it  with  great 
success,  and  consider  it  the  most  profitable  branch  of  their 
business. 

Intelligent  gentlemen  from  the  older  States  are  already 
purchasing  large  tracts  of  land  and  making  liberal  outlays  of 
money  to  engage  in  this  pursuit. 


16  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH 

J 

)  SWINE. 

The  growth  of  swine  is  greatly  promoted  by  the  mast  of  the 
forest;  and  the  abundant  crops  of  corn  make  the  fattening 
process  comparatively  cheap.  Both  cattle  and  swine  are  exten- 
sively raised  at  present,  and  with  large  profits. 


FRUIT. 

Every  one  seeking  to  make  a  home  will  wish  to  supply  him- 
self with  fruit.  Here,  all  those  of  temperate  climates  perfectly 
luxuriate.  The  growth  of  apples,  both  for  quantity  and  quality, 
is  truly  marvelous ;  some  are  found  weighing  two  pounds  or 
more,  and  without  a  blemish.  Plums  grow  wild,  and  are  easily 
cultivated.  Peaches  and  melons  can  not  be  surpassed.  Grapes 
^re  indigenous,  and,  in  some  sections,  are  cultivated  for  the 
manufacture  of  wine,  and  found  very  profitable.  They  are 
easily  raised  by  open  culture. 

The  growth  of  fruit  not  only  affords  many  cheap  luxuries,  but 
may  also  be  made,  a  source  of  very  considerable  profit. 


LUMBER   AND   BUILDING   MATERIALS. 

There  is  no  white  pine  in  Missouri,  but  a  supply  of  hard 
wood  and  various  kinds  of  soft — as  Cottonwood,  Sycamore, 
Lind,  etc. — can  be  had  at  convenient  points,  and  generally  at 
moderate  prices.  At  Hannibal,  Pine  lumber  is  brought  from 
the  upper  Mississippi,  and  sold  at  reasonable  rates.  Here,  also, 
fire  mills  for  dressing  lumber  ;  and  material  can  be  provided  for 
the  erection  of  buildings,  requiring  only  to  be  put  together  ;  or 
houses  can  be  erected  by  contract,  of  any  desired  style. 

Materials  for  brick  are  generally  abundant,  and  the  stone  and 
fuel  are  always  at  hand  for  burning  lime. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  17 

READY   MADE    COTTAGES. 

Arrangements  have  been  made  uitli  responsible  parties,  to 
furnish,  delivered  on  the  cars  at  Hannibal,  readymade  cottages 
of  a  variety  of  styles,  at  a  cost  varying  from  §125  to  $300, 
accordin^T  to  the  size  and  style  of  finish ;  and  so  complete  in 
every  respect,  as  to  require  but  four  or  five  days  after  their 
delivery  upon  the  ground,  to  be  ready  for  the  occupancy  of  a 
family. 

FENCING. 

Fencing  must  usually  be  done  to  protect  against  swine,  and 
rails  will  generally  be  used.  If  the  purchaser  secures  a  portion 
of  timber  land,  he  has  only  to  add  his  labor,  and  a  substantial 
fence  can  be  built  at  a  cost  of  from  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar 
per  rod. 

Of  course  the  same  facilities  exist  here  as  elsewhere  for 
hedging,  but  the  success  of  this  is  quite  doubtful. 

The  cost  of  a  substantial  post  and  board  fence  in  any  prairie 
country  at  the  West  is  from  $1.50  to  $2.00  per  rod.  Most  of 
this  is  for  materials,  and  must  be  paid  for  in  cash  at  the  outset, 
which  is  a  great  drawback  upon  the  settler  with  limited  means, 
and  when  built  it  is  neither  as  good  or  durable  as  a  fence  of 
rails.  This  is  one  great  advantage  to  be  realized  from  the 
supply  of  timber  over  Illinois  and  Iowa,  a;id  the  territory  west 
of  the  Missouri  Kiver,  where  lumber  is  generally  very  scarce. 

COAL. 

Coal  abounds  on  many  parts  of  lOf  line  of  road,  and,  prob- 
ably, underlies  the  whole  country. 

In  the  report  of  the  Geological  Survey  of  the  State,  by 
Prof.  Swallow,  it  is  estimated  that  within  fifteen  miles  of  the 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  and  within  the  counties  of 
Macon,  Linn,  Livingston  and  Chariton  alone,  there  is  not  Icsi 
than  1,500  square  miles  of  coal  fields,  containing  workable  coal, 
after  allowing  one-half  for  waste,  equal  to  9,000,000  tuna.        ! 

Other  counties  will  also  furnish  large  quantities. 

Undcf  the  influence  of  the  road,  mining  is  just  being  com- 


18  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

menced;  and,  though  the  operations  are  still  very  imperfect, 
coal  is  obtained  at  prices  making  it  cheaper  fuel  than  the 
mere  preparation  of  wood. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  mining  will  furnish  employ- 
ment for  a  large  population. 

MANUFACTURES. 

At  the  Iron  Mountain,  in  Missouri,  it  is  estimated  that  the 
cost  of  producing  the  pig-iron  is  less  than  in  any  other  part 
of  the  country.  So  rich,  in  fact,  is  the  ore,  that  it  may  be 
made  into  "  blooms,"  with  no  intermediate  process. 

By  .the  recent  opening  of  the  Iron  Mountain  Railroad,  for 
three  dollars  per  tun,  iron  is  noAV  taken  from  the  mines  to 
St.  Louis,  where  are  mills  for  rolling,  and  the  article  is  ex- 
tensively manufactured. 

The  cheapness  of  iron,  the  supply  of  lumber,  the  abundance 
of  coal,  and  its  position  with  reference  to  the  yet  undeveloped 
portions  of  our  country,  indicate  Missouri  as  a  most  favorable 
location  for  extensive  manufactures ;  and  very  considerable 
progress  has  already  been  made  in  that  direction. 

TOWN     LOTS. 

Stations  have  been  established  along  the  line  of  the  road, 
at  various  points,  from  five  to  ten  miles  apart,  around  which 
flourishing  villages  are  springing  up,  in  most  of  which  the 
Railroad  Company  have  an  interest,  where  eligible  locations 
can  be  obtained,  on  favorable  terms,  by  the  mechanic,  manu- 
facturer, or  trader. 

The  growth  of  some  of  these  has  been  remarkably  rapid. 
Where,  two  years  since,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  the  un- 
broken prairie,  villages  of  from  300  to  800  inhabitants  now 
meet  the  eye ;  churches  have  been  built ;  schools  established ; 
stores  and  mechanics'  shops  are  in  successful  operation  ;  and 
everything  indicates  an  activity  and  prosperity  which  can  only 
be  the  result  of  industry  and  enterprise,  rightly  directed  in 
developing  the  wealth  of  a  country  unsurpassed  by  any  in  the 
salubrity  of  its  climate,  and  the  fertility  of  its  soil. 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  10* 

EDUCATION. 

Liberal  provisions  have  been  made  by  Missouri  for  popular 
instruction,  affording  free  schools  to  all  her  children,  Viith  only 
a  light  tax,  and  in  many  cases  none  at  all. 

The  principal  obstacle  in  the  practical  working  of  her  sys- 
tem, is  the  diflSculty  of  obtaining  good  instructors,  and  perhaps 
there  is  no  State  where  there  is  greater  demand,  or  where  they 
could  secure  higher  compensation. 

To  show  more  fully  the  provisions  made  for  education,  we 
insert  a  communication  from  the  lion.  William  Carson,  of 
Palmyra,  a  Senator,  and  one  who  has  ever  felt  a  deep  interest 
in  this  subject.     He  says: 

"  It  should  be  a  subject  of  deep  concern  to  every  one  set- 
tling in  a  country,  to  know  the  provisions  for  educational 
purposes,  and  the  disposition  of  the  government  and  people 
to  educate  the  rising  generation. 

"  Missouri  has  not  been  unmindful  of  this  great  and  inter- 
esting subject.  The  wise  and  good  men  who  formed  her 
Constitution,  incorporated  in  her  fundamental  law  this  pro- 
vision, (Art.  vi,  Sec.  1,)  '  That  schools  and  the  means  of 

EDUCATION  SHALL  FOREVER  BE  ENCOURAGED  IN  THIS  StATE.' 

"  In  accordance  with  this  provision,  and  to  carry  out  its 
beneficent  purpose,  the  Legislature,  in  1838-9,  adopted  a 
common  school  system,  taking  that  of  New  York  as  a  model, 
and  modifying  it  to  suit  the  different  circumstances  existing 
here.     This  system  has  been  in  successful  operation  since. 

"  To  support  these  schools,  the  State  has  a  fund  amounting 
to  near  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars,  denominated  the 
State  School  Fund ;  to  this  is  to  be  added  the  money  derived 
from  the  sale  of  the  16th  section  in  each  township,  called  the 
Township  School  Fund ;  and  all  fines  and  forfeitures,  called 
the  County  School  Fund.  We  have  not  tlie  means  of  ascer- 
taining the  precise  amount  of  the  Township  and  County 
School  Funds  in  the  State,  which  vary  in  different  counties, 
according  to  the  price  at  which  the  sixteenth  sections  were 
sold ;  but  we  have  endeavored  to  approximate  as  nearly  as 
possible,  from  the  data  we  have. 


20  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH 

"  In  the  county  of  Marion  (in  which  Hannibal  is  situated), 
the  fund  amounts  to  $36,072.  There  are  in  the  State  one 
hundred  and  six  organized  counties,  and,  taking  Marion  as 
an  average,  the  aggregate  amount  of  Township  and  County 
School  Funds  in  the  State  is  $3,823,632.  Add  to  this  the 
State  School  Fund,  $672,000,  and  it  shows  the  total  School 
Fund,  from  these  sources,  to  be  $4,495,632. 

"  Or  it  may  be  arrived  at  in  this  way :  It  will  be  seen  by 
inspecting  Colton's  Map  for  1854,  that  there  are  in  the  State 
1900  sixteenth  sections,  which,  multiplied  by  640,  the  number 
of  acres  in  a  section,  gives  1,216,000  acres,  which,  estimated 
at  the  low  price  of  four  dollars  per  acre,  would  make  the  sum 
of  $4,864,000,  which,  added  to  the  State  Fund,  would  make 
the  total  $5,536,000,  or  about  one  million  more  than  to  take 
the  county  of  Marion  as  an  average,  as  above.  We  think, 
then,  that  we  may  safely  set  down  the  State,  County  and 
Township  Fund  at  four  and  one-half  millions.  To  these  is 
still  to  be  added  the  '  Swamp  Land  Fund,'  which  will  cer- 
tainly amount  to  $1,000,000,  and  we  have  the  total  aggregate, 
in  round  numbers,  of  five  and  one-half  millions,  sacredly  de- 
voted to  the  cause  of  common  school  education,  the  interest 
of  which  only  is  annually  distributed ;  but  besides  this,  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  annually  accruing  revenue,  amounting 
to  about  $150,000,  is  distributed  for  the  same  praiseworthy 
object.  In  several  of  the  counties  along  the  line  of  the  road, 
the  '  Swamp  Land  Fund '  will  be  very  large,  and,  taken  alto- 
gether, in  many  counties,  the  income  will  be  quite  sufiicient 
to  keep  up  '  Free  Schools '  the  whole  year,  thus  afi'ording 
gratuitous  instruction  to  every  child.  In  every  county,  Free 
Schools  are  now  kept  part  of  the  year.  In  addition  to  the 
foregoing,  there  are  nine  regularly  chartered  Colleges  in  the 
State,  and  a  large  number  of  '  High  Schools,'  (over  forty,  it 
is  believed,)  for  both  males  and  females ;  and,  in  addition  to 
all  these,  the  State  has  a  University,  with  an  endowment 
fund  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  a  spacious  and 
beautiful  edifice,  sujfficient  to  accommodate  from  four  to  six 
hundred  students.     It  is  in  successful  operation,  having  an 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  21 

able  faculty,  consisting  of  a  president  and  seven  profes- 
sors. 

"  This  is  located  at  Columbia,  in  Boone  county,  near  the 
center  of  the  State,  and  within  fifty  miles  of  the  Hannibal 
and  St.  Joseph  Railroad. 

"While  speaking  of  the  institutions  of  learning  in  Missouri, 
it  may  not  be  considered  invidious  if  we  refer  more  particu- 
larly and  definitely  to  some  of  them  situated  in  the  countries 
through  which  the  road  passes.  St.  Paul's  (Episcopal)  College 
is  situated  at  Palmyra,  fourteen  miles  from  Hannibal,  imme- 
diately on  the  line  of  the  road,  and  is,  therefore,  easily 
accessible,  from  almost  every  direction,  by  the  railroad  or 
by  the  river.  The  College  has  beautiful  grounds  and  build- 
ings, affording  ample  accommodations  for  a  large  number  of 
students,  and  has  obtained  a  very  high  reputation  for  thorough- 
ness in  instruction  and  discipline.  There  is  also,  at  Palmyra, 
the  Presbyterian  Female  Institute,  a  Seminary  of  high  char- 
acter; and  the  Baptists  have  a  Male  and  Female  Seminary, 
which  has  been  in  successful  operation  for  several  years,  and 
was  chartered  by  the  last  Legislature  as  a  College.  For 
beauty  and  healthfulness  of  location,  and  moral  and  refined 
society,  Palmyra  is  perhaps  not  surpassed  by  any  other  town 
in  the  State. 

"McGee  College  (male  and  female),  under  the  patronage 
of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  is  situated  near  the 
line  of  the  road,  in  Macon  county,  and  has  attained  consider- 
able reputation  as  a  literary  institute.  It  has  a  beautiful  and 
healthy  location  in  the  country,  and  has  buildings  to  accom- 
modate a  large  number  of  students. 

"  From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Missouri  has  educational 
resources  and  facilities  equal  to  the  most  favored  of  the  new 
States,  and  far  in  advance  of  some  of  the  older  States. 

"Emigrants  may,  therefore,  be  assured,  from  the  foregoing 
facts,  that  in  settling  in  Missouri,  they  make  no  sacrific'e  for 
w^nt  of  the  means  and  facilities  for  educating  their  children. 
These,  to  a  great  extent,  are  already  provided,  and  in  suc- 
cessful operation." 


22  HANNIBAL   AND   ST,   JOSEPH 

MARKETS. 

The  location  of  this  region  gives  it  great  advantages  in 
easy  and  cheap  communication  "with  all  the  markets,  not  only 
of  this  country,  but  of  the  world.  Large  quantities  of  fruit, 
sweet  potatoes,  and  tobacco  will  be  sent  to  those  States  further 
north,  where  these  crops  cither  can  not  be  raised,  or  to  but 
little  advantage.  It  borders  upon  the  territories,  Avhere  pro- 
duction is  still  below  the  demand  for  consumption,  owing  to 
the  immense  emigration.  Here  provisions  will  naturally  be 
made  for  trading-parties  to  Santa  Fe — the  American  Fur 
Company — the  travel  across  the  plains,  and  the  wants  of  the 
General  Government  in  sustaining  its  military  posts  and 
operations,  which  all  combine  to  furnish  a  most  desirable 
market.  Bordering  upon  the  Lower  Mississippi  and  the  Gulf,  is 
the  immense  planting  region  of  our  country,  which  cultivating 
mainly  the  leading  stnples,  makes  large  drafts  upon  the  more 
northern  States  for  the  means  of  subsistence.  For  all  this, 
the  region  under  consideration  is  most  favorably  situated. 

Missouri  extends  to  nearly  the  northern  limit  of  uninter- 
rupted steam  navigation  on  the  Mississippi.  The  rapids  im- 
mediately above,  at  all  times,  obstruct  and  increase  the  cost 
of  navigation,  and,  for  a  considerable  portion  of  the  year, 
interrupt  it  entirely.  The  obstructions  from  ice  are  also 
much  less  here  than  above.  Boats  usually  run  every  month 
in  the  year,  and  some  winters  without  any  interruption;  while 
further  north  the  river  is  closed  for  months.  This  naturally 
makes  St.  Louis  the  primary  market  for  those  productions 
designed  for  the  south,  or  the  eastern  seaboard,  as  well  as 
for  those  who  seek  a  foreign  port  directly  from  New  Orleans. 

It  is  well  known  that  Chicago  is  the  largest  primary  grain 
market  in  the  country,  receiving  its  supplies  not  only  from 
Illinois,  but  from  Iowa  and  Wisconsin.  Below  will  be  found 
tables  showing  the  prices  of  loading  articles  of  produce  in 
each  month  for  the  year  1857,  both  in  Chicago  and  St.  Louis. 
These  have  been  carefully  compiled  from  the  daily  Commercial 
Letters  and  Reports  of  Board  of  Trade,  and  are  believed  to 
be  reliable.  Had  we  been  able  to  obtain  the  data,  theSe 
tables  would  have  embraced  the  report  of  other  years,  but 
this  would  not  probably  have  altered  the  comparative  results. 


RAILBOAD   LANDS. 


23 


Monthly  Statejnent  of  the  amount  of  Wheat  received  in 
St.  Louis  in  1857,  irith  the  Average  Price  of  different 
varieties. 


MONTHS. 


NO.  or 

BUSHELS. 


AV.  PRICK 

Sl'RINO 


AV.  PKICK 
FALL  KKl). 


January 18,414  100  @  105  107 

Februarv 223,(>r)2  100 

Munh.." I  315,041  109 

April i  342.5S7  102 

.^f:lv \  875,0081120 

Jun. I  372,44h!109 


AV.  I'ltirK 
WlllTK. 


July 

August 

Septembor. 
October. .  .  . 
November . 
December. . 


Total 2.SS3.548 


111.372 
243.003 
242,267 
130,555 
225,846 
274.285 


101 
97 
73 
61 
76 
61 


"  108  109 
"  115ill7 
"  113|l26 
"  1341148 
"  124'l39 
"  119  127 


108 
86 
73 
84 
79 


107 
92 
70 
86 

85 


©118  115 

"  IIG'115 

"  125il27 

"  131  146 

"  15G,1»;5 

"  149}  156 

"  142.145 

"  115  124 

"  104|118 

"  98|  90 

"  104:111 

"  IO7I104 


@120 
"  130 
"  136 
"  150 
"  180 
"  1C3 
"  151 
"  135 
"  128 
"  104 
"  117 
"  117 


Monthly  Statanent  of  the  amount  of  Wheat  received  in 
Chicago  in  1857,  icith  the  Average  Price  of  different 
varieties. 


MONTHS. 


January. . . . 
February. . 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August .... 
iSeptember. , 

October 

November. . 
December.. , 

Total 


NO.  OF 
BUSHELS. 


AV.  PRICE 
SPRING. 


114,636 

171,382 

355,701 

141.347j  90 

317,717  117 

682,918122 

397.046' 119 

894.227,108 

2,806.226  78 

2,462.(»25'  67 

2,510,318  59 

168.741  54 

1 1.002.2841 


@ 


AV.  PRICE 
FALL  RED. 


89  101 

89|101 
88  103 
91  103 


128 
135 


118 

123 

121 

109121 
SOJ  99 
701  67 
62  62 
57  55 


@  104 
"  104 
"  105 
"  107 
"  132 
"  135 
"  135 
"  122 
"  101 
"  80 
"  72 
'  75 


AV.  PRICK 
WHITE. 


110  @115 


113 
118 

125 
145 
150 

139 
111 


117 
122 
129 
148 
150 
150 
141 
112 


NONE 

IN 

MARKET. 


HANNIBAL   AND    ST.    JOSEPH 


Table  of  Monthly  Prices  of  Corn  and  Oats  at  Chicago  and 
St.  Louis,  icith  the  quantity  received  for  1857. 


MONTHS. 


January. . . 
February . 
March .... 

April 

May 

June 

July 

August. . . 
September, 
October.. . 
Kovember. 
December . 


IX   CHICAGO. 


COKX. 


39  @ 
38^  " 
34  " 
46  " 
65-i  " 
65|  " 
66  " 
68  " 
54  "' 
48  " 
44  " 
43^  " 


40| 
40  ' 

38f! 

461' 

661 

64| 

GO 

68*' 

55^1 

49  I 

46  I 

431 


OATS. 


35* 

37j 

37f 

44 

58* 

57|- 

55 

46* 

26*^ 

26 

24 

9?a 


@35 
"  38 
"  38^ 
"  45 
"  60 
"  58* 
"  54" 
"  48 
"  27^ 
"  26^ 
<'  24* 
''  24" 


Total  rec'ts  in  bush.  6,667.324  I  474.290  2.485.786   845.295 


IX  ST.  LOUIS. 


COKN. 


57i 
o4 
52 
55 

68 
70* 

57 
54 
44* 
37" 


@62* 
"  57 
"  59 
"  57 
"  84 
"  851 
"  77* 
"  75" 
"  Q(^l 
"  65" 
"  55 
"  42* 


OATS. 


NONE. 

52  @  56J 
55  "  56 


58 
68 
67 
64 
43 
33 
35 
33 


64 
76 
70 
68 
53 
38 
42 
38 
31 


Table  showing  the  Average  Price  of  Tobacco  and  Hemp  at 
St.  Louis,  in  each  month,  for  the  year  1857. 


MONTHS. 


January..  , 
Febriiar}'  , 
March .... 
April  . .  . .  , 

May 

June 

July 

August  . .  , 
September 
October . . , 
November. 
December 


HEMP  PER  TON. 


8160. 

156, 

120, 

119, 

121, 

120, 

120, 

116, 

93, 

70, 

70, 

75, 


00  @ 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 
00  » 
00  " 
00  " 
00  " 


§170.00 

164.00 

136.00 

134.00 

135.00 

128.00 

134.00 

129.00 

110.50 

85.00 

81.00 

88.00 


TOBACCO,  SHIP,  -f!  C^\T. 


NO  QUOT 

eio.oo  @ 

10.00  " 

12.00  " 

13.00  " 

10.00  " 

8.50  " 

8.00  " 

8.00  " 

NO  QUOT. 

DO. 

7.00  @ 


ATIONS. 

$15.00 
17.00 
17.25 
19.00 
16.00 
14.00 
15.50 
12.00 

ATIONS. 
9.00 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  K 

From  the  foregoing  it  appears  that  the  average  of  prices  in 
St.  Louis,  for  1857,  was  greater  than  those  in  Chicago,  as  fol- 
lows: 11  cents  per  bushel  on  wheat,  nearly  11  cents  per  bushel 
on  corn,  and  over  11  cents  per  bushel  on  oats,  and  tlic  average 
difference  between  Spring  and  Red  Fall  Wheat  was  15  cents, 
and  White  Fall  32  cents  per  bushel,  being  two  cents  greater  in 
St.  Louis  than  in  Chicago.  When  we  consider  that  the  great 
majority  in  Chicago  market  is  Spring,  and  in  St.  Louis  Fall 
Wheat,  it  will  be  safe  to  estimate  that  the  farmers  who  market 
at  the  latter  place,  receive  30  cents  per  bushel  more  for  their 
wheat  than  those  who  market  at  Chicago.  This  will  at  least 
hold  true  of  all  raised  in  Missouri,  where  Spring  Wheat  is 
seldom  cultivated. 

The  reason  for  this  difference  in  price  is  obvious.  Chicago 
has  but  one  outlet  for  its  provisions,  and  that  the  Eastern  sea- 
board, the  water  communication  with  which,  is  obstructed  by 
ice,  for  about  five  months  in  the  year,  which  naturally  brings 
prices  to  the  lowest  points,  at  that  season  most  convenient  for 
the  farmer  to  market  his  crops,  so  that  he  must  either  submit 
to  winter  rates,  or  hold  until  the  Spring,  and  take  to  market 
when  his  farm  work  is  most  pressing. 

On  the  other  hand,  St.  Louis  has  a  large  and  profitable  mar- 
ket from  which  Chicago  is  slmt  out ;  and  as  ice  seldom  obstructs 
the  navigation,  can  at  all  times  forward  produce  to  the  Atlantic 
Ports,  at  less  than  the  summer  water  rates  from  Ciiicago. 

This  fact  will  be  made  more  apparent  by  the  following  state- 
ment: 


COMPARISON   BETWEEN   CHICAGO  AND   ST.    LOUIS   IN 
THE  COST  OF   FREIGHT  TO   NEW   YORK. 

Extremely  low  summer  water  rates  from  Chicago  to  New 
York  are  fifty  cents  per  hundred  pounds,  and  in  ordinary  pro- 
duce, the  weight  rather  than  the  bulk  controls  the  price.  This 
would  make  the  cost  of  transportation  on  a  bushel  of  wheat,  or 
corn,  30  cents,  on  a  barrel  of  Flour,  ^1.08,  and  on  a  barrel  of 
Pork,  $1.65. 
3 


t'BB  HAXNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

From  St.  Louis  to  New  York  produce  is  taken  by  the  largest 
class  of  River  Steamboats  to  New  Orleans,  where  sailing  vessels 
carry  it  the  remaining  distance.  In  these  vessels,  bulk  controls 
the  expense  of  carriage,  more  than  weight,  so  that  flour  ,or 
pork  goes  at  less  price  per  tun  than  grain. 

Moderate  prices  between  these  ports  are  : 

Freight  on  Grain,  per  bushel,         .         .         .     $0.25 
"         "   Flour,    "    bbl.,   ....  80 

"         "   Pork  and  Beef,  per  bbl.,       .         .       1.00 

But  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  river  below  St.  Louis 
is  seldom  obstructed  by  ice,  while  from  Chicago,  water  naviga- 
tion is  interrupted  for  nearly  five  months  in  the  year,  when  for- 
warders are  obliged  to  pay  Railroad  rates  of  fare. 

These  w^ere  placed  unusually  low  in  the  winter  of  1857-58, 
and  were  as  follows  : 

Flour  per  barrel,  to  New  York,     .         .         .     §1.55 

Grain  "    bushel  "  ...  50 

J.  Pork  and  Beef,  per  bbl.     "...       2.75 

In  consideration  of  the  length  of  time  navigation  is  sus- 
pended at  Chicago,  it  will  be  fivir  to  add  to  the  water  rates  of 
frei<^ht  at  least  one-fifth  of  the  difference  between  these  and  the 
winter  rates,  to  obtain  a  fair  estimate  of  the  average  cost  of 
transportation.     This  gives  us  from  Chicago : 

Freight  on  Grain,  per  bushel,        .         .         .     §0.34 

"         "   Flour,    "    bbl 1.17 

"        "   Beef  and  Pork,  per  bbl.,       .         .       1.87 

An  ordinary  Railroad  freight  would  be  8  cents  per  bushel  on 
grain,  and  15  cents  per  100  lbs.  on  Flour  and  packed  meats, 
for  every  hundred  miles. 

The  lands  now  offered  are  at  an  average  distance  from  Han- 
nibal of  about  one  hundred  miles. 

The  opening  of  the  line  of  Railroad  has  the  effect,  to  make 
very  depot  a  market,  and  the  competition  among  the  buyers 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  9f 

will  fetch  the  prices  nearly  up  to  those  of  the  principal  markets, 
less  the  cost  of  transportation. 

Now,  to  ascertain  the  comparative  value  of  land  in  different 
localities  at  the  West,  we  will  estimate  tlie  value  of  a  crop  on  a 
farm  of  IGO  acres,  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad, 
100  miles  from  Hannibal,  on  a  similar  farm  100  miles  from 
Chicago  in  any  direction,  and  on  one  near  Iowa  City,  in  Iowa, 
250  miles  from  Chicago,  by  the  Rock  Island  Railroad.  If  we 
allow  60  acres  for  the  various  purposes  of  the  family,  we  have 
100  acres  on  which  to  raise  a  crop  for  market;  which  we  will 
suppose  is  fifty  acres  in  Corn,  and  fifty  in  Wheat. 

The  average  yield  in  Iowa,  and  Northern  Illinois,  will  be 
22  bushels  of  Spring  wheat  per  acre,  and  50  bushels  of  corn. 
In  Missouri,  25  bushels  of  Winter  wheat  per  acre,  and  50  bu- 
shels of  com. 

If  now  we  assume  the  prices  in  Now  York  to  be  75  cents  per 
bushel  on  corn,  §1.25  on  Spring  wheat,  and  $1.50  on  Winter 
\Fheat,  and  estimate  the  freight  from  Hannibal  to  St.  Louis  at 
five  cents  per  bushel,  we  shall  have  the  basis  of  calculation. 

From  the  point,  100  miles  west  of  Hannibal,  the  freight 
would  be  to  Hannibal  8  cents,  to  St.  Louis  5  cents,  and  to  New 
York  25  cents,  making  38  cents;  reducing  the  price  of  corn  to 
57  cents,  and  of  Winter  wheat  to  §1.12  per  busliel. 

From  the  farm,  100  miles  from  Chicago,  the  freight  would 
be  8  cents  to  Chicasro,  and  to  New  York  34  cents,  raakinn'  42 
cents  per  bushel ;  and  reducing  the  price  of  corn  to  33  cents, 
and  of  Spring  wheat  to  83  cents  per  bushel. 

From  the  farm,  near  Iowa  city,  the  Ireight  would  be  20  cents 
to  Chicago,  and  to  New  York  34  cents,  making  in  all  54  cents 
per  bushel ;  reducing  the  price  of  corn  to  21  cents,  and  Spring 
wheat  to  71  cents  per  bushel. 

We  have  then  the  following  results: 

Farm  in  Missouri,  100  miles  from  ITannibal. 
2,500  bushels  corn,  at  37  cents,          .         .        $925 
1,250      "       Winter  wheat,  at  $1.12,         .        1,400      "'* 
Amounting  to $2,325 


28  BANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

Farm  in  Illinois,  100  miles  from  Chicago. 
2,500  bushels  corn,  at  33  cents,  .         .         $825 

1,100       "       Spring  wheat,  at  83  cents,    .  913 

Amounting  to, §1,738 

Farm  near  lotca  City,  in  lorva. 

2,500  bushels  corn,  at  21  cents,          .         .  $525 

1,100       "       Spring  wheat,  at  71  cents,     .  781 

Amounting  to,   .        .         .         •         •  $1,306 

Hence  it  appears  that  the  income  from  a  grain  farm  of  160 
acres,  100  miles  from  Hannibal,  in  Missouri,  is  greater  than 
that  from  a  similar  fhrm  in  Illinois,  100  miles  from  Chicago,  by 
§587  ;  and  than  that  from  a  farm  near  Iowa  City,  by  §1,019. 
Any  one  may  easily  estimate  what  effect  this  should  have  upon 
the  value  of  the  lands  at  the  different  localities. 

From  the  rates  of  freight  before  given,  it  is  apparent  that  if 
the  production  of  the  farms  considered,  should  be  converted 
into  Pork,  Beef,  or  Flour,  the  difference  of  freight  would  be 
still  more  against  the  farms  in  Illinois  and  Iowa. 

If  this  result  is  not  at  present  strictly  correct  in  fact,  it  is 
oAving  to  local  and  temporary  causes,  and  must  inevitably  be 
realized  whenever  the  more  complete  settlement  of  the  country 
obliges  all  surplus  products  to  seek  an  Eastern  market — a 
time  certainly  not  very  far  distant. 

At  the  present  time,  produce  in  Kansas  is  much  higher 
than  in  Illinois;  but  with  the  increase  of  population,  in  a 
few  years,  supply  will  greatly  exceed  demand,  and  the  surplus 
will  then  have  to  seek  the  same  market,  when  the  order  of 
prices  will  be  reversed. 

The  intelligent  farmer,  seeking  for  himself  a  home,  will  n^t 
consider  so  much  what  he  can  make  by  fortuitous  circum- 
stances and  speculation,  as  what  region  has  really  the  most 
substantial  advantages,  on  which  to  build  a  permanent  and 
healthy  growth. 

In  the  comparison  drawn,  we  have  supposed  the  farms  con- 
sidered   devoted  to  grain ;  but  this  is  by  no  means  the  most 


'    '  '  nH  1  ft 

^1/ 

'-^^Bb 

JkA 

RAILROAD    LANDS.  29 

profitable  crop  in  Missouri.  Hemp  and  Tobacco  pay  much 
larger  profits ;  and  stock  growing,  for  those  who  have  the 
required  capital,  is  better  than  either.  The  farmers  of  this 
region,  with  ordinary  industry  and  prudence,  are  rapidly 
growing  rich. 

HANNIBAL. 

The  city  of  Hannibal  is  beautifully  situated  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  the  terminus  of  the  Hannibal  and 
St.  Joseph  Railroad,  and  is  the  commercial  depot  for  an 
extensive  district  of  country,  extending  west  of  St.  Joseph. 
The  Pike  County  Railroad,  and  the  Hannibal  and  Peoria 
Railroad,  now  in  process  of  construction,  and  the  Mississippi 
Valley  Railroad  projected,  will  radiate  from  this  point, 
while  the  Mississippi  river  unites  with  them  in  bearing  into 
her  lap  the  profits  of  a  large  inland  commerce.  Hannibal  is 
the  lumber  depot  for  North  Missouri  and  Kansas,  and  the 
point  where  all  western  emigrants  can  obtain  their  outfits  on 
most  favorable  terms.  It  has  a  population  of  about  8000, 
and,  from  its  present  rapid  progress,  seems  destined  soon  to 
obtain  an  importance  second  to  few  cities  in  the  west.  Various 
manufacturing  interests  are  already  permanently  developed, 
and  every  branch  of  industry  is  bountifully  rewarded,  while 
the  present  prices  of  real  estate  are  such  as  to  offer  favorable 
inducements  for  the  investment  of  capital. 

ST.     JOSEPH. 

The  city  of  St.  Joseph,  the  western  terminus  of  this  great 
road,  is  upon  the  Missouri  river,  which  is  navigable  for  two 
thousand  miles  above  that  city.  At  St.  Joseph  will  converge 
that  grand  network  of  railroads,  which  will,  in  another  gene- 
ration, cover  the  territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  in 
its  market  will  be  exchanged  tl\p  manufactures  and  luxuric? 
of  the  east,  for  the  beef,  wool,  hides,  and  golden  corn  of  the 
immense  country  lying  between   the   Missouri   river  and   the 


30  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH 

Pacific  slope  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  chain,  -which  divides  the 
waters  of  the  two  great  oceans.  Here,  beyond  all  question, 
•will  be  a  large  commercial  clt}',  and  all  kinds  of  produce  will 
find  a  ready  and  profitable  market.  There  being  no  navigable 
waters  west  of  the  Missouri,  and  no  point  where  the  railroad 
system  of  the  mighty  west  can  again  concentrate,  all  reason- 
ing men  must  at  once  see  the  magnificent  future  of  this  young 
Queen  of  the  Missouri. 


ST.     LOUIS. 

St.  Louis  will  be  the  principal  market  where  those  supplies 
which  every  family  needs  will  be  obtained  for  this  region  of 
country ;  and  her  facilities  enable  her  to  supply  the  smaller 
trades  on  better  terms  than  any  other  western  city. 

The  heavier  articles,  as  salt,  cofi'ee,  sugar,  and  molasses, 
are  obtained  from  New  Orleans,  where  the  former  articles  are 
directly  imported,  and  the  latter  are  produced;  and  her  rail- 
road connections  with  all  the  commercial  ports  of  the  east, 
enable  her  to  supply  the  lighter  articles  of  commerce,  at 
moderate  prices.  She  is  also  taking  a  leading  position  in 
manufactures,  for  which  she  has  great  facilities,  and  many 
articles  will  be  furnished  from  her  own  shops,  of  superior 
quality.  Already  her  population  exceeds  140,000,  and  is 
rapidly  increasing.  When  we  look  at  the  resources  of  the 
country  tributary  to  her,  which  is  yet  to  be  developed,  it  is 
manifest  she  must  soon  become  the  largest  inland  city  on  the 
continent. 

The  neighborhood  of  a  large  and  growing  city,  with  ex- 
tensive manufactures,  and  accumulation  of  capital,  can  not  fail 
to  have  a  favorable  efi"ect  upon  the  producing  industry  of  the 
country. 

TRADERS    AND     MECHANICS. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say,  that  in  a  country  filling  with 
population,  with  cities  and  villages  rapidly  growing  up,  there 


r.asPHr 


ii^ 


fK^  ■ 


!■«   V 


I     *3Er 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  81 

will  be  abundant  employment  for  all  in  the  different  branches 
of  mechanics,  and  also  desirable  openings  for  trade. 

The  surplus  earnings,  carefully  invested  in  land,  soon 
secures  an  independence. 

ADVANTAGES    FROM    SETTLING    IN    NORTH-MISSOURI. 

To  enumerate  some  of  the  advantages  of  locating  on  the 
lands  now  offered  for  sale,  we  may  say  that  the  climate  is 
healthful,  and  removed  from  the  extremes  of  heat  and  cold; 
the  winter  short ;  the  air  pure  and  salubrious ;  the  soil  of  an 
unlimited  fertility,  with  a  retentive  subsoil,  containing  the 
most  fertilizing  properties ;  there  are  numerous  streams  and 
springs ;  while  the  rolling  surface  secures  drainage,  and  pre- 
vents stagnation.  The  great  majority  is  prairie,  ready  at 
once  for  the  plow,  with  sufficient  wood  for  fuel,  fence,  and 
shelter.  Coal  is  also  abundant  to  supply  any  deficiency,  and 
afford  means  of  profitable  employment  in  mining,  and  with 
other  important  minerals,  naturally  leads  to  manufactures. 
All  the  productions  of  temperate  climates  are  abundant.  It 
is  peculiarly  adapted  to  winter  wheat,  which  probably  adds 
from  §5  to  $10  per  acre  to  the  value  of  the  wheat  crop,  over 
sections  growing  the  spring  varieties.  All  grains  find  a  much 
better  market  at  St.  Louis  than  is  afforded  at  Chicago. 

Much  of  the  soil  is  well  adapted  to  the  culture  of  Ilemp, 
Tobacco  and  the  Grape,  which  are  very  profitable,  and  can 
not  be  grown  successfully  in  a  higher  latitude.  For  stock 
raising,  in  all  its  branches,  it  can  hardly  be  equaled ;  and  its 
water  navigation,  seldom  interrupted  by  ice,  enables  its  pro- 
ducts to  find  a  market  easily  in  all  directions,  at  home  or 
abroad ;  while  its  central  position,  and  the  ease  with  which  it 
can  communicate  with  the  proposed  routes  for  the  Pacific 
Railroad,  either  North  or  South,  together  with  the  fact  that 
the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Road  will  reach  the  Missouri 
river  years  in  advance  of  any  other  line,  render  it  nearly 
certain  that  this  must  form  a  part  of  that  great  channel  of 
communication,  to  be  extended  to  the  Pacific,  over  which  will 


34  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

The  Climate  is  temperate  and  salubrious,  as  we  might 
expect  in  a  high  rolling  country  under  that  latitude.  The 
winters  are  short  and  mild,  while  the  summers  are  long  and 
warm. 

Soil. — Nearly  all  the  soil  of  this  region  is  based  upon  the 
fine  silicious  marl  of  the  Bluff  Formation.  As  this  fact  would 
indicate,  they  possess  all  the  good  qualities  of  the  very  best 
Western  soils.  Those  in  the  valleys  of  the  streams  are  not 
inferior  in  fertility  to  the  very  best  alluvial  soils.  But  those 
upon  the  ridges  and  knobs  are  of  a  lighter  character,  and 
much  inferior  for  the  ordinary  uses  of  the  farmer.  It  is,  how- 
ever, very  probable,  that  these  soils  will  be  more  valuable  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  grape,  than  even  our  richest  soils  for  the 
ordinary  purposes  of  agriculture ;  for  the  grape  will  succeed 
on  the  poorer  ridges,  when  the  soil  has  the  proper  composition. 

A  more  careful  examination  of  this  part  of  the  lands  of  the 
Company,  will  enable  us  to  decide  this  point  with  certainty,  as 
it  is  already  proved  that  our  climate  and  some  of  our  poorer 
soils,  are  all  that  can  be  desired  for  the  grape.  Thus  it  will 
be  seen,  that  the  lands  of  your  Company  are  located  in  one  of 
the  richest  and  most  desirable  regions  of  the  West.  The  soil 
is  scarcely  surpassed  in  any  region  of  equal  extent,  and  yet 
the  country  is  high,  undulating,  well  watered,  and  salubrious. 
It  is  so  divided  into  timber  and  prairie,  as  will  render  the 
opening  of  farms  most  convenient  and  profitable.  The  prairie 
is  ready  for  the  plow,  and  the  best  of  timber  at  hand  for  build- 
ings and  fences. 

Coal. — But  the  vast  coal  beds  beneath  the  soil  give  these 
lands  a  value  far  above  all  ordinary  prices.  According  to 
Major  Hawn's  Surveys,  a  large  portion  of  these  lands  contain 
at  least  fine  workable  beds  of  good  coal.  These  beds  will  con- 
tain an  aggregate  thickness  of  fifteen  feet,  w^hich  will  yield  not 
less  than  20,000  tons  per  acre.  The  coal  alone,  at  only  one 
cent  per  tun,  is  worth  $200  per  acre. 

It  is  not  possible  to  specify  the  precise  extent  of  these  coal 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  85 

beds,  or  all  the  lands  which  they  underlie,  until  we  shall  have 
made  a  more  careful  examination  of  that  part  of  the  State;  but 
it  is  certain  that  they  extend  under  a  portion  of  all  the  counties 
on  the  line  of  the  road  west  of  Macon. 

Building  Material. — Good  limestone,  suitable  for  all  build- 
ing purposes,  is  abundant  along  the  line  of  the  road.  Clays 
of  excellent  quality  for  common  and  fine  brick  and  pottery, 
are  found  in  large  quantities. 

Water  Power. — The  numerous  streams  which  pass  through 
this  region,  afford  a  large  amount  of  water  power,  and  many 
good  sites  for  mills  and  factories.  For  a  more  detailed  account 
of  this  region,  I  would  refer  you  to  the  Second  Annual  Re- 
port of  the  Missouri  Survey.  Wishing  you  success  in  the 
prosecution  of  your  great  work,  I  remain, 
Your  Ob't  Serv't, 

G.  C.  Swallow, 
State  Geologist  of  Missouri. 

We  here  insert  various  extracts  from  the  published  Report 
of  Prof.  Swallow  and  his  assistants  on  the  Geological  Survey 
of  the  State : 

BIVER    BOTTOMS. 

We  have  on  these  two  streams  alone  (the  Mississippi  and 
Missouri)  about  2,000,000  acres  of  the  most  productive  and 
inexhaustible  lands  in  the  world,  based  upon  the  alluvial 
strata  of  sand,  clay,  marl,  and  humus ;  and  beside,  this  quan- 
tity is  constantly  increasing,  by  the  silting  up  of  the  lakes 
and  sloughs. 

The  rich  productive  power  of  this  formation  is  abundantly 
proved  by  the  immense  burden  of  timber  growing  upon  it,  and 
by  the  unparalleled  crops  of  corn  and  hemp  harvested  from  its 
cultivated  fields. 

The  Bottom  Prairie  is,  so  far  as  my  observation  hero 
extended,  about  half  as  extensive  as  the  Alluvial  Bottom  on 
the  same  streams. 


S&  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

This  estimate  will  give  us  about  1,000,000  acres  of  these 
vastly  rich  Savannas,  all  prepared  by  Nature  for  the  plow. 
Their  agricultural  capacities  are  scarcely  inferior  to  any  in  the 
world,  as  is  abundantly  demonstrated  by  the  mineral  contents 
of  the  strata,  and  the  products  of  the  numerous  farms  located 
upon  it. 

The  alluvium  of  our  river  bottoms  generally  produces  a  light 
rich,  silicious  soil,  which  sustains  a  larger  growth  of  timber 
than  any  other  in  the  State.  This  variety  of  soil  occupies  the 
bottoms  of  all  our  large  streams,  covering  an  area  of  some 
four  or  five  millions  of  acres.  It  is  not  surpassed  in  fertility 
by  any  in  the  State,  and  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  corn  and 
hemp.  It  is  usually  so  light  and  porous,  and  deep,  that  in  wet 
weather  the  superabundance  of  water  readily  passes  ofi";  while 
in  drought,  the  roots  sink  deep,  and  the  water  below  easily 
ascends  by  capillary  attraction,  and  keeps  the  surface  moist. 
These  scientific  deductions  are  abundantly  sustained  by  the 
experience  of  the  unprecedented  drought  of  the  present  season; 
as  the  cornfields  on  this  soil  sufi'ered  comparatively  little 
injury  from  it. 


BLUFF    FORMATION. 

This  formation  when  well  developed,  usually  presents  a  fine, 
pulverulent,  absolutely  stratified  mass  of  light  grayish  bluff, 
silicious  and  slightly  indurated  marl.  It  is  often  penetrated  by 
numerous  tubes  or  cylinders,  about  the  size  or  thickness  of 
pipestems,  some  larger  and  others  smaller.  These  phenomena 
have  been  minutely  investigated,  not  merely  as  interesting 
scientific  facts,  but  also  as  one  of  the  most  useful  agricultural 
features  of  this  preeminently  valuable  formation;  for  upon  it, 
and  sustained  by  its  absolutely  inexhaustible  fertilizing  resources, 
rest  the  very  best  farms  of  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  val- 
ley. These  tubes  and  holes  also  constitute  the  most  thorough 
SYSTEM  OF  DRAINAGE  imaginable. 

This  formation  forms  the  upper  stratum  beneath  the  soil  of 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  87 

all  the  high  lands,  both  timber  and  prairie,  of  all  the  counties 
north  of  the  Osage  and  Missouri  Rivers.* 

The  Bluff,  when  well  developed,  produces  a  light,  deep  cal- 
careo-silicious  soil,  of  the  very  best  quality.  The  alumina, 
silex,  and  lime  are  mingled  in  such  proportions  with  the  other 
fertilizing  properties  in  this  formation,  as  to  adapt  it  in  an 
admirable  degree,  to  the  formation  of  soils  and  subsoils ;  and, 
as  might  be  expected,  the  soils  formed  upon  it  under  favorable 
circumstances,  are  equal  to  any  in  the  country.  The  deleteri- 
ous effects  usually  produced  by  the  coal  measures  are  prevented 
by  the  thick  bluff  deposit,  which  covers  nearly  all  the  coal 
strata  in  this  State ;  and,  indeed,  the  very  best  soils  of  the 
State  overlie  the  coal  measures. 

COAL. 

Mineral  coal  has  done  much  to  promote  the  rapid  progress 
of  the  present  century.  Commerce  and  Manufactures  could  not 
have  reached  their  present  unprecedented  prosperity  without 
its  aid.  And  no  people  can  expect  success  in  those  depart- 
ments of  human  industry,  unless  their  territory  furnishes  an 
abundance  of  this  useful  mineral.  Previous  to  the  present 
survey,  it  was  known  that  coal  existed  in  many  counties  of 
the  State  ;  but  there  was  no  definite  knowledge  of  the  continua- 
tion of  workable  beds  over  any  considerable  area.  But  since 
the  survey  commenced,  the  Southeastern  outcrop  of  the  coal 
measures  has  been  traced  from  the  mouth  of  the  Des  Moines, 
through  Clark,  Lewis,  Marion,  Monroe,  Audrian,  Boone,  Cooper, 
Pettis,  Henry,  St.  Clair,  Bates,  and  Jasper,  into  the  Indian 
Territory ;  from  Glasgow  up  the  Missouri  River  to  the  Iowa 
line ;  and  from  St.  Joseph  along  the  line  of  the  Hannibal  and 
St.  Joseph  Railroad  to  Shelby,  showing  the  existence  of  the 
coal  measures  over  an  area  of  more  than  2G,000  square  miles, 
in  the  Northern  and  Western  parts  of  the  State. 

•  Tliis  embraces  the  entiro  region  traversed  by  the  nannfbal  and  SL 
Joseph  Euilroad. 


38  HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

The  thickest  of  these  beds  varies  from  five  to  six  feet ;  and, 
altogether,  they  -will  furnish  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  of  good 
coal.  These  beds  extend  over  an  area,  all  vrithin  fifteen  miles 
of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad,  of  at  least  500  square 
miles  in  Macon,  400  in  Linn,  400  in  Livingston,  and  200  in 
Chariton,  making  in  all  1500  square  miles,  •within  fifteen  miles 
of  the  road  in  these  four  counties  alone.  It  is  estimated  by 
the  best  mining  engineers  of  England,  that  every  foot  of 
workable  coal  will  furnish  1,000,000  tuns  per  square  mile, 
which  would  give  us  for  these  four  counties  1,500,000,000  tuns 
for  every  foot  in  these  beds.  If  we  deduct  one-half  of  the 
thickness  for  waste,  and  for  the  areas,  where  some  of  these 
beds  may  run  out,  we  shall  have  9,000,000,000  tuns  of  work- 
able coal  within  the  limits  above  mentioned,  seeking  transport- 
ation to  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri  Rivers. 

Should  the  road  be  able  to  transport  100,000  tuns  per  day, 
it  would  supply  freight  for  90,000  days,  and  allowing  300 
mining  days  per  annum,  it  would  occupy  it  300  years.  At 
50,000  tuns  per  day,  it  would  freight  the  road  600  years,  which 
is  quite  as  long  as  the  stockholders  need  provide  for  themselves 
and  their  heirs;  as  by  that  time  Young  America  will  have  no 
use  for  Railroads. 

Shelby  county  will  also  furnish  small  quantities ;  and  all  the 
counties  on  the  line  west  of  Livingston,  have  still  more  coal, 
but  its  depth  below  the  surface  may  prevent  profitable  mining 
at  the  present  prices  of  coal  and  labor. 

But  few,  if  any,  Railroads  run  through  so  good  a  body  of 
land  as  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph.  The  facilities  aflbrded 
by  the  road  will  bring  this  land  into  market,  and  settle  it  with 
a  stirring  agricultm-al  population,  unless  speculators  place  its 
price  above  that  of  other  lands  possessing  similar  qualities 
and  advantages. 

Coal  mining  will  also  bring  in  an  increase  of  population  to 
Bwell  the  travel  over  this  road. 


r»-' 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  89 

IRON. 

Among  minerals,  Iron  stands  preeminent  in  its  influence 
upon  the  power  and  prosperity  of  a  nation.  Nations  who  pos- 
sess it  in  hirge  quantities,  and  hy  wliom  it  is  extensively 
manufactured,  seem  to  partake  of  its  hardy  nature  and  sterling 
qualities,  Missouri  possesses  an  inexhaustihle  supply  of  the 
very  best  ores  of  this  metal.  She  has  all  the  facilities  for 
becoming  the  great  iron  mart  of  the  "Western  Continent. 

Specular  Oxide. — This  is  probably  the  most  abundant  and 
valuable  ore  in  the  State.  Iron  Mountain  is  the  largest  mass 
observed.  The  hijrht  of  the  mountain  is  228  feet,  and  its  base 
covers  an  area  of  500  acres,  which  gives,  according  to  Dr. 
Litton,  1,655,280,000  cubic  feet,  or  230,187,375  tuns  of  ore. 
But  this  is  only  a  fraction  of  tlic  ore  at  this  locality. 

The  Specular  and  Magnetic  Oxides. —  At  Shepherd 
Mountain  the  ore  is  usually  a  mixture  of  these  varieties,  in  a 
very  pure  state.  The  ore  ftt  this  mountain  exists  in  vertical 
veins,  ranging  in  different  directions  through  the  porphyry  of 
which  the  mountain  is  composed.  They  vary  in  thickness 
from  one  foot  to  fourteen.  Three  of  these  have  been  partially 
explored.     They  yield  an  enormous  amount  of  ore. 

SiLicious  Specular  Oxide. — Pilot  Knob,  which  is  of  this 
varietv,  is  581  feet  hiuli,  and  covers  an  area  of  3G0  acres.  A 
large  portion  of  this  mountain  is  pure  ore.  The  quantity  is 
enormous,  and  may  be  considered  inexhaustible.  The  amount 
above  the  surface  can  not  be  less  than  13,072,773  tuns.  But 
it  evidently  far  exceeds  this  estimate. 

There  is  ore  enough  of  the  very  best  quality  within  a  few 
miles  of  Pilot  Knob  and  Iron  Mountain,  above  the  surface  of 
the  valleys  to  furnish  1,000,000  tuns  per  annum  of  manufac- 
tured iron,  for  the  next  two  hundred  years. 

All  of  these  ores  are  well  adapted  to  tlie  manufacture  of  pig 
metal;  and  those  of  Iron  Mountain  and  Shepherd  Mountain, 
are  used  for  making  blooms  by  the  Catalan  process,  in  the 
bloomeries  at  Pilot  Knob  and  Valle  Forge. 


40  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.    JOSEPH 

LUMBER    AND    WATER-POWER. 

It  may  be  a  matter  of  surprise  to  some  to  learn  that  Mis- 
souri, notwithstanding  our  heavy  importation  of  lumber,  has  a 
great  abundance  of  almost  every  desirable  variety,  most  ad- 
vantageously situated.  Indeed,  with  the  exception  of  white 
pine,  cedar,  and  live  oak,  our  supply  seems  to  be  all  that 
could  be  desired. 

On  the  borders  of  our  navigable  streams  and  their  large 
tributaries,  oak,  hickory,  walnut,  maple,  ash,  linden,  cherry, 
locust,  and  birch  grow  in  the  greatest  abundance,  and  in  mag- 
nificent dimensions.  It  seems  unnecessary  to  specify  where 
good  localities  exist,  for  there  is  scarcely  a  stream  in  the 
State  which  is  not  bordered  by  forests  of  excellent  timber. 

All  of  these  streams  save  the  Missouri  furnish  water-power 
and  good  mill  sites,  and  even  the  large  springs  of  the  Niangua 
afford  the  best  water-power  observed  in  the  State.  But  steam 
has  usually  proved  the  most  economical  power  for  the  manu- 
facture of  lumber,  as  the  site  can  be  selected  with  greater 
advantage. 

FROM   MR.  HAWN'S   REPORT— GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY  OF 
THE   STATE. 

Mr.  Hawn's  examination  embraced  only  the  section  con- 
taining the  land  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad 
Company. 

In  the  valley  of  Grindstone,  sec.  8,  township  57,  R.  31, 
is  found  a  red,  chocolate-colored  silicious  clay  or  shale,  which, 
from  its  similarity,  in  many  respects,  to  a  material  extensively 
used  in  Ohio  and  other  States  as  a  pigment,  would  doubtless 
furnish  a  cheap  and  abundant  material  for  that  purpose. 
When  ground  in  oil,  the  color  may  be  varied  by  adding  a 
small  quantity  of  white-lead,  lamp-black,  or  other  cheap 
paint,  to  suit  the  taste.  This  kind  of  paint  is  highly  useful, 
not  only  for  ornamental  purposes,  but  also  for  rendering  roofs 
fire-proof,  by  applying  several  heavy  coats   to   the   shingles. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  4X 

So  soon  as  the  oil  evaporates,  the  strong  coating  of  silicious 
matter  left  on  the  surface  will  prevent  a  roof  from  taking  fire 
from  sparks,  or  even  large  coals. 

Soil.— The  soil,  in  all  parts  of  the  district,  is  fertile  in  the 
highest  degree,  with  slight  modifications,  requiring  only  a 
different  mode  of  culture,  and  the  products  adapted  to  dif- 
ferent localities,  to  produce  equal  results.  Perhaps  the  pre- 
ponderance may  he  in  ftivor  of  the  limestone  district,  west  of 
Grand  river,  especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  that 
the  products  best  adapted  to  that  region  are  those  that  now 
yield  the  greatest  profit  on  the  labor  expended;  but,  should 
circumstances  change,  that  preponderance  would  be  lost. 

At  some  few  localities  in  this  district,  the  soil  is  thin  and 
heavy,  in  consequence  of  a  superabundance  of  clay ;  but  where 
it  is  properly  tilled,  and  the  subsoil  is  in  reach  of  the  plow, 
so  as  to  be  brought  up  and  mixed  with  the  surface,  it  becomes 
friable,  and  produces  well.  Such  a  soil  is  remarkably  well 
adapted  to  the  cereal  products,  maturing  those  plants  without 
the  addition  of  artificial  stimulants,  so  apt  to  produce  a  re- 
dundancy of  straw  at  the  expense  of  a  proper  development 
of  grain. 

The  soil  of  Macon  county  is  remarkably  well  adapted  to 
the  production  of  a  superior  article  of  Tobacco;  also,  the 
upper  portions  of  Chariton,  the  higher  portions  of  Linn,  and 
the  southeastern  portions  of  Livingston,  and  also  the  upper 
portions  not  included  in  the  limestone  district.  These  regions 
will  become  as  famous  for  the  production  of  superior  tobacco, 
as  were  the  most  favored  portions  of  Virginia  in  her  palmiest 

days. 

There  is  yet  another  variety  of  soil  deserving  attention. 
The  alluvial  deposits  of  the  valley,  usually  denominated 
"Bottoms"  in  the  west.  This  soil  is  necessarily  deep,  and 
of  unbounded  fertility;  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  Indian 
corn  and  hemp,  but  not  to  wheat  and  small  grains,  in  con- 
sequence of  its  excessive  fatness,  or  superabundance  of  or- 
ganic matter. 
4 


42  HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

In  the  vallej  of  Grand  river,  the  bottoms  vary  from  three 
to  five  miles  in  width,  and  are  elevated  from  twenty  to  thirty 
feet  above  the  'bed,  and  above  ordinary  highwater  mark.  In 
the  valley  of  Grand  Chariton,  the  bottom  lands  are  about 
equal  in  extent  to  those  on  Grand  river,  but  not  elevated  so 
high  above  the  bed  of  the  stream,  and  are  consequently  more 
frequently  inundated. 

Timber  usually  exists  in  the  valleys  and  along  watercourses, 
of  the  usual  varieties  found  in  this  State,  and  the  west  gene- 
rally. The  most  abundant  and  valuable  varieties  are  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  white  and  black  oaks,  black  and  white  walnut, 
and  occasionally  a  grove  of  maples.  The  supply  would  be 
sufficient  for  domestic  and  agricultural  purposes,  if  it  were 
equally  distributed;  especially  when  we  take  into  considera- 
tion the  facilities  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad  will 
afford  in  distributing  the  products  of  the  forest,  and  the  coal 
beds  found  along  that  line. 

The  Osage  Orange,  too,  is  under  extensive  experiment  here, 
and  thus  far  promises  well ;  and  should  success  finally  attend 
the  rearing  of  hedges  for  fencing  purposes,  a  small  amount 
of  timber  will  suffice  this  district. 

It  will  be  seen,  by  inspection  of  the  map,  that  this  district 
is  traversed  by  several  rivers,  with  their  branches  diverging 
in  every  direction,  and  watering  the  country  in  an  admirable 
manner.  The  largest  of  these  is  Grand  river,  running  nearly 
south  through  the  center  of  the  district.  Grand  Chariton  is 
next  in  size.  The  volume  of  water  is,  perhaps,  less  than  half 
that  of  Grand  river,  and,  in  almost  all  respects,  the  same 
Salt  river  discharges  less  water  than  Grand  Chariton,  and 
differs  from  it  by  being  composed  of  alternate  pools  and 
rapids.  These  streams  will  afford  no  other  facilities  to  the 
business  of  the  country  than  in  creating  waterpower,  for 
which  Salt  river  and  its  branches  are  well  adapted. 

Several  of  the  minor  streams,  too,  are  well  suited  to  that 
purpose,  particularly  Medicine  and  Shoal  creeks. 

At  Utica,  Livingston  county,  an  establishment  is  now  in 
course  of  construction  on  an  extensive  scale;  and,  all  things 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  43 

considered,  I  should  suppose  that  a  suflicicnt  amount  of  water- 
power  can  be  obtained  to  supply  the  domestic  wants  for  many 
years  to  come. 

Tiiere  is  but  little  waste  land  in  this  district.  This  cir- 
cumstance, with  the  exceeding  fertility  and  durability  of  tlie 
soil,  and  its  adaptation  to  the  various  products  of  tliis  climate, 
its  inexhaustible  beds  of  coal,  and  its  salubrious  cliumte, 
renders  tiiis  a  favored  district,  and  capable  of  sustaining  a 
{population  as  dense  as  any  other  portion  of  equal  extent  in 
the  northern  temperate  zone. 

HEMP. 
LETTER   FROM    C.  R.  ROGEH.S,  Esq.,  OF   MARION   COUNTY. 

Marion  County,  Mo.,  January  20,  1858. 
J.  T.  K.  IIayward,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir : — I  am  in  the  receipt  of  yours  of  the  8th,  in 
which  you  request  a  statement  of  my  mode  of  cultivating 
hemp,  the  cost  per  acre,  etc.,  which  I  will  give  you  in  brief. 

Hemp  requires  the  dryest  and  richest  land  we  have  to  in- 
sure success.  It  is  best  to  take  new  land,  and  not  cultivate 
it  in  any  thing  else.  It  may  be  grown  on  the  same  land 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  with  equal  success,  allowing  for  the 
variation  in  seasons. 

The  best  mode  of  preparing  the  ground  is  to  plow  deep,  as 
early  in  the  spring  as  the  ground  will  admit ;  then  let  it  lie 
in  that  state  until  about  the  first  of  May;  then  cross-plow 
with  one-horse  plows ;  sow  one  and  a  quarter  bushels  seed 
j)cr  acre;  harrow  in,  and  then  cross-harrow.  If  the  ground  is 
dry  and  cloddy,  roll  as  a  finishing  touch. 

Hemp  should  not  be  cut  too  green,  as  the  lint  would  be 
light.  The  leaves  should  commence  falling  off,  and  the  stalk 
become  a  little  yellow. 

We  use  the  common  hook  in  cutting,  as  we  can  save  it  in  a 
better  manner,  and  a  hand  can  cut  as  much  as  he  can  break  out. 

Hemp  should  be  spread  out  to  water  late  in  October  or 
early  in  November,  as  generally  late  spreading  is  the  best. 


44  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.    JOSEPH 

The  average  yield  is  about  800  pounds  per  acre;  the  average 
price  per  cwt.,  for  the  last  ten  years,  about  five  dollars. 

The  cost  per  acre,  on  an  average,  for  the  last  ten  years,  is 
about  as  follows : 

One  and  one-fourth  bushels  seed $1.25 

Sowing, 50 

Plowing  and  harrowing, 2.50 

Cutting  (two  hands  one  day), 2.00 

Shocking,  spreading,  and  re-shocking,     ....  2.00 

Breaking  800  lbs.,  at  §1  per  cwt., 8.00 

Cost  per  acre, §16.25 

Value  800  lbs.  hemp,  at  §5  per  cwt.,       .     .     .        40.00 

Net  profit  on  one  acre, S23.75 

A  good  hand  can  break  six  acres.  The  breaking  is  usually 
done  in  January,  February,  and  March,  as  the  weather  may 
suit.  Each  hand  has  100  lbs.  per  day  for  his  task,  and  is 
paid  for  what  he  breaks  over  that  amount,  at  the  rate  of  one 
dollar  per  100  lbs. 

A  hand  can  break  from  100  to  200  lbs.  per  day. 

Yours  respectfully,        C.  R.  Rogers. 


GENERAL     CROPS. 

LETTER  FROM   JOHX   XICHOLS,  Esq.,  PRESIDENT  MARION 
COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

Marion  County,  Mo.,  May  17,  1858. 
To  William  Carson, 

Secretary  Land  Department  S.  c^'  *S'/.  Jo.  R.  R.  Co. 
Dear  Sir: — You  request  me  to  give  you  an  account  of  the 
gross  receipts  from  the  productions  of  my  farm,  for  the  year 
1856,  with  the  cost  of  producing  the  various  articles,  and  the 
net  profits. 

In  reply,  I  will  state  that  I  have  not  kept  sufficient  memo- 
randa, but  will  approximate  as  nearly  as  possible. 


R-\rLROAD    LANDS.  45 

Having  given  Mr.  IIayward  a  detailed  statement  of  my 
mode  of  cultivating  hemp,  I  will  only  state  that  the  receipts 
for  my  hemp  crop,  for  the  year  mentioned,  amounted  to  the 
sum  of  $2,000;  receipts  for  pork,  same  year,  31>200;  beef, 
$300;  wheat,  §1,200;  sheep,  $50;  cows  and  calves,  ^loO; 
making  the  gross  receipts,  for  the  articles  above  mentioned, 
$4,900.  Receipts  for  potatoes,  fruit,  dairy  productions,  etc., 
no  particular  account  was  kept ;  nor  have  I  a  minute  account 
of  the  expenses  of  the  family ;  but  I  have  sufficient  to  know 
that  the  last-mentioned  articles  more  than  paid  family  ex- 
penses, store  bills,  smith's  bills,  etc. 

To  produce  the  above,  I  cultivated  two  hundred  and  fifty 
acres  of  land,  and  employed  the  labor  of  six  hands,  making 
the  product  of  each  hand  about  $810,  and  the  clear  profit  on 
each  acre  of  land  cultivated,  §19.60. 

Very  respectfully  yours,        John  Nichols. 


HEMP. 

LETTER  FROM  JUDGE  LEONARD,  OF  PLATTE  COUNTY. 

Hempland,  March  6,  1858. 
J.  T.  K.  IIayward,  Esq.,  Land  Agent,  etc. 

Dear  Sir: — Owing  to  my  absence  from  home,  yours  of 
January  8th  was  received  only  last  night. 

In  reply  to  your  inquiries  touching  the  culture  of  hemp,  I 
wouM'  observe  that  upon  our  best  uplands,  and  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Missouri  river,  with  the  best  culture,  I  estimate  one- 
half  a  tun,  or  1,120  lbs.,  an  average  crop  per  acre.  Of  course, 
it  will  sometimes  rise  above  and  sometimes  fall  below,  owing 
to  seasons. 

I  estimate  the  average  price  at  $100  per  tun,  net;  but  the 
price  fluctuates  greatly.  It  is  now  quoted  considerably  below 
a  hundred  in  St.  Louis ;  but  for  each  of  the  three  years  past, 
for  some  portions  of  the  year,  it  lias  ranged,  in  St.  Louis, 
from  $130  to  $150  per  tun,  if  I  mistake  not. 


46  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

I  estimate  the  expense  of  cultivating  an  acre  of  hemp  at 
about  $25,  as  follows : 

Seed,  one  and  one-fourth  bushels, 31-25 

Pitching  crop, 3.00 

Cutting, 3.00 

Breaking  off  leaves  and  putting  into  shocks,     .     .  1.00 

Spreading, 50 

Taking  up  after  watered, 50 

Breaking,  per  cwt.,  ^1.25, 12.50 

Baling, 1.50 

Hauling  to  place  of  shipment,     ....          .     .  1.75 

P5.00 

The  last  item  depends  so  entirely  on  distance  of  hauling, 
as  to  be  unreliable  in  my  general  estimate. 

If  the  crop  is  light,  the  breaking  would  be  less ;  but  it  is 
more  labor  to  break  a  given  number  of  pounds  when  the  yield 
is  light  than  when  it  is  heavy. 

My  estimate,  then,  for  an  average  yield  of  an  acre  of  our 
best  uplands,  with  the  best  culture,  after  paying  for  seed  and 
labor,  is  $25.  If  the  land  is  inferior,  this  sum  will  not  be 
realized.  If  the  land  is  good,  but  the  cultivation  or  manage- 
ment inferior,  this  sum  will  not  be  realized. 

Upon  a  plantation  of  not  less  than  five  to  ten  field  hands, 
I  estimate,  upon  the  hypothesis  before  stated,  of  the  best 
land  and  the  best  cultivation,  that  they  will  average  five  and 
a  half  tuns  per  hand,  or  $350  per  hand  per  year.  And  over 
and  above  this,  they  will  raise  grain  and  stock  sufiicient  for 
their  own  and  the  subsistence  of  an  ordinary  sized  family. 

Few  crops  preserve  the  ground  so  well  as  hemp.  In  hemp 
culture,  the  land  is  not  much  exposed  to  wash ;  and  I  believe 
hemp  growers  are  disagreed  as  to  Avhether  successive  crops 
upon  the  same  ground  tend  to  its  impoverishment.  Cases  are 
to  be  found  in  which  ten  or  twelve  successive  crops  have  been 
raised  upon  the  same  ground  with  undiminished  yield.  Hemp 
leaves  land  in  fine  condition  for  other  crops. 

I  am  not  aware  of  any  country  superior  to  the  Missouri 
river  country  for  the  hemp  culture,  either  as  to  quality  or  to 
quantity  per  acre. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  47 

If  our  hemp  docs  not  riink  in  tlic  markets  of  the  world  as 
the  e([u:il  of  Russia,  or  any  other,  I  apprehend  it  will  be  found 
owini;  to  defective  culture,  or  defective  handling. 

Owing  to  the  dryness  of  our  climate,  we  arc  relieved  from  the 
labor  of  stacking  in  the  fall,  as  in  Kentucky,  and  usually  wo 
have  more  weather  in  winter  suitable  to  break  hemp  than  there. 
Yours,  etc.,  S.  L.  Leonard. 

HEMP. 
LETTER   FROM   COL.  PFOUTS,  OF   BUCHANAN   COUNTY. 

Rock  House  Prairie,  Buchanan  Co.,  Mo.,  \ 
January  23,  1858.  f 

Mr.  J.  T.  K.  Hayward. 

Dear  Sir: — Yours  of  the  8th  inst.  is  at  hand;  and  in  an- 
swer thereto,  I  will  say  we  have  as  fine  land  in  Northwest  Mis- 
souri as  is  to  be  found  anywhere.  I  have  never  seen  so  large 
a  body  of  rich  land  anywhere.  "We  have  an  abundance  of  the 
very  best  water ;  plenty  of  timber  in  most  places ;  and  good 
health.  No  country  is  better  adapted  to  the  growing  of  hemp; 
and  land  that  will  produce  good  hemp,  will  produce  any  thing 
that  is  adapted  to  this  climate.  "Wheat,  corn,  oats,  tobacco, 
grass,  and  all  kinds  of  vegetables,  grow  well  here. 

I  have  been  farming  here  for  eighteen  years,  and  will  give 
you  my  experience  as  to  the  cost  of  raising  hemp. 

For  the  last  few  years,  labor  has  been  much  higher  than  it 
was  years  before,  and  hemp  has  bofne  a  better  price  until  the 
present.     It  is  down  now. 

COST  OF   RAISING   HEMP   PEtt   ACRE. 

One  and  one-fourth  bushels  of  seed, ^1.25 

Plowing  ground,  harrowing,  etc., 2.50 

Cutting  hemp, 4.00 

Rolling,  taking  up,  etc., 1.50 

Breaking,  §1.25  per  hundred, 12.50 

$20.75 
Product  of  an  acre,  1,000  lbs.:  take  off  the  gross 
12  lbs.  on  the  hundred,  leaving  hemp  890  lbs., 
at  5  cents, fl4.50 


48  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

The  price  for  many  years  has  averaged  five  dollars  per 
hundred,  thus  making  ^23.75  per  acre  over  cost.  One  hand 
can  take  care  of  ten  acres  with  some  help  in  breaking ;  and 
he  can  raise  an  ordinary  crop  of  grain,  as  hemp  does  not 
materially  conflict  with  other  crops. 

The  country  back  from  the  Missouri  river  is  not  so  well 
adapted  to  hemp  as  that  on  the  river.  We  are  experimenting 
on  the  Chinese  hemp.  If  it  is  what  it  is  now  believed  to  be, 
all  the  prairie  land  in  North  Missouri  will  produce  good  hemp, 
and  the  yield  much  larger  than  the  kind  now  raised. 

Yours  respectfully,  V.  ProuTS. 


HEMP. 

LETTER  EEOM   HON.  WILLARD  P.  HALL. 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  January  26.  1858. 
J.  T.  K.  Hayward,  Esq.,  Hannibal. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  am  in  receipt  of  your  letter  of  the 
8th  inst.,  and  in  reply  to  your  inquiries,  I  have  to  say  that 
the  quality  of  hemp  grown  here  is  first  rate;  the  yield  per 
acre  is  about  eight  hundred  weight,  and  the  price  per  hundred 
weight  is  about  five  dollars. 

It  is  diflScult  for  me  to  state  the  precise  cost  of  making 
and  preparing  a  hemp  crop  for  market,  because  our  hemp 
growers  generally  own  the  hands  they  employ.  It  is  usually 
considered  that  one  good  hand  can  grow  and  prepare  for 
market  ten  acres  of  henlp.  This,  at  the  yield  and  price 
above  stated,  gives  four  hundred  dollars  as  the  earning  of 
each  good  hand  engaged  in  producing  hemp,  from  that  crop 
alone;  and,  as  the  hemp  trop  interferes  but  little  with  the 
corn  and  fall  wheat  crops,  and  partially  only  with  several 
other  crops,  a  prudent  hemp  farmer  may  calculate  very  cer- 
tainly upon  clearing  at  least  four  hundred  dollars  a  year  to 
each  hand  employed  in  cultivating  hemp ;  his  other  crops 
paying  all  expenses. 

The  following  statement  of  the  cost  of  making  and  preparing 
a  hemp  crop  for  market,  it  is  believed,  will  be  found  correct ; 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  49 

Breaking  up  ground,  per  acre, §2.00 

Harrowing  ground  before  sowing, 50 

One  and  a  lialf  bushels  of  seed, 1.50 

(I rowing  seed, 25 

Harrowing  and  cross-harrowing  after  sowing,  per  acre,  1 .00 

Cutting  hemp, 3.00 

Taking  up  hemp  after  cutting, 1.00 

Spreading  hemp  to  rot, 1.00 

Taking  up  hemp  after  rotting, 1.00 

Breaking  up  hemp,  at  one  cent  per  pound,  .     .     .     8.1M! 

§20.21 
Price  of  crop  at  8  cwt.  per  acre,  §5  per  cwt.,  .     .  40.00 

Profit  per  acre, §19.79 

Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant, 

WiLLARD  P:  Hall. 

HEMP. 
LETTER  FROM  HON.  ROB.  WILSON,  OP   ANDREW  COUNTY. 

Andrew  County,  Mo.,  February  13,  1858. 

Hemp  is  extensively  cultivated  in  the  counties  of  Platte, 
Buchanan,  and  Andrew.  The  soil  in  the  counties  of  Holt, 
Atchison,  Nodaway,  Clinton,  Caldwell,  Davies,  and  Livingston, 
are  believed  to  be  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  hemp,  and 
upon  the  completion  of  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  Railroad, 
several  of  the  counties  last-named  will  doubtless  engage  largely 
in  producing  it. 

The  cost  of  raising  an  acre  of  hemp  may  be  summed  up  as 
follows : 

For  breaking  land  and  sowing  seed,     .     .     .     .  r  .  §2.25 

One  and  a  half  bushels  seed,  at  §1.50,     ....  2.25 

Cutting, 1.75 

Shocking, 75 

Spreading, 1.25 

Taking  up  and  reshocking, 1.25 

Breaking  1000  lbs.,  average  crop, 10.09 

Board  of  hands  16  days, 4.00 

CKEDIT.  §23.50 

By  1000  lbs.  hempi  at  §5  per  cwt.,     ....     .  50.00 

Being  a  balance  in  favor  of  producer,     .      §2G.50 
5 


50  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

rrom  tliis  must  be  deducted  for  rent  of  land,  and  moving 
the  article  to  market.  Land  in  order  for  hemp,  usually  rents 
at  about  $3  per  acre. 

St.  Joseph  is  the  market  for  this  section  of  country,  and 
the  cost  of  delivering  hemp  there  is  dependent  on  distance, 
roads,  etc.  Farmers  usually  deliver  their  hemp  without  much 
actual  cost,  with  their  own  teams,  and  at  such  times  as  best 
suits  their  convenience. 

One  thousand  pounds  is  considered,  in  this  section  of  the 
State,  a  good  average  crop ;  but,  in  many  instances,  as  high 
as  1,600  has  been  reached. 

One  hand  can  manage  ten  acres  of  hemp,  do  all  the  labor 
from  first  to  last,  and  also  raise  sufficient  of  other  crops  to 
support  himself  and  family;  thus  having,  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  a  clear  profit  of  §235  above  the  value  of  his  labor,  on 
the  article  of  hemp  alone. 

I  have  been  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  hemp  for  many 
years,  and  find  it  one  of  our  most  certain  crops.  The  failures 
are  few  and  far  between. 

The  production  of  hemp  does  not  injure  the  soil.  Fields 
that  have  been  cropped  for  many  years,  continue  to  yield  as 
fair  returns  as  new  land. 

The  quality  of  hemp  raised  in  this  section  of  the  State  is 
believed  to  be  fully  equal  to  any  raised  in  any  part  of  the 
United  States;  and,  when  properly  handled,  sells  for  the 
highest  price  in  all  the  principal  markets. 

A  very  large  portion  of  the  land  in  Northwest  Missouri  is 
well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  hemp,  and  much  of  it  is  not 
yet  in  cultivation,  waiting  for  an  accession  of  population. 

Respectfully,  B.  Wilson. 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  51 

TOBACCO. 

LETTER   FROM  J.  U.  GENTRY,   Esq.,  OF   RALLS   COUNTY. 

Fairmount,  Ralls  Co.,  January  25,  1858. 
Mr.  IIayward, 

Dfar  Sir : — I  received  your  letter  requesting  mo  to  give 
you  some  information  in  relation  to  the  culture  of  tobacco, 
and  I  embrace  this  opportunity  of  addressing  you  a  fc^Y  lines 
upon  the  subject.  The  first  thing  you  wish  to  know  is  the 
actual  cost  of  raising  an  acre  of  tobacco,  and  making  it  ready 
for  market.  "Well,  sir,  my  cultivation  in  tobacco  has  been  so 
much  mixed  up  with  other  crops,  and  the  labor  done  by  hands 
consisting  of  men  and  boys,  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible 
to  estimate  the  cost  of  raising  the  crop ;  but  it  is  estimated  that 
a  good  hand  will  manage  from  three  to  forur  acres  of  tobacco, 
and  cultivate  an  ordinary  crop  of  corn,  wheat,  and  oats. 

The  best  mode  of  raising  tobacco,  according  to  my  experi- 
ence, is  to  take  fresh  timbered  land,  break  it  up  well,  harrow 
it  well,  and,  after  taking  off  the  roots,  check  it  off  three  and 
a  half  feet  each  way,  and  set  the  plants  in  the  middle  of  the 
square,  or  edge  of  the  furrow. 

The  quality  of  tobacco,  in  this  country,  varies  with  the 
quality  of  the  land.  Rich  land  will  produce  heavy,  coarse 
tobacco,  and  nearly  double  the  quantity  of  thin  land ;  but  the 
difference  in  quality,  if  well  managed,  will  about  make  up  for 
tlie  difference  in  quantity ;  for  you  may  know  that  fine  tobacco 
is  worth  double  as  much  as  coarse.  I  have  made  from  §oO 
to  §100  per  acre  from  tobacco,  but  ?40  per  acre  I  consider  a 
fair  average ;  that  is  800  lbs.  per  acre,  at  an  average  price 
of  §5  per  cwt. 

Having  given  you  such  facts  in  relation  to  tobacco  raising 

(in  my  brief  way)  as  I  am  in  possession  of,  I  now  subscribe 

myself, 

Your  obedient  servant,  J.  H.  Gentry. 

To  J.  T.  K.  Hayward,  Land  Agent  H.  ^  St.  Jo.  R.  R. 


52  HA2INIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

TOBACCO. 

LETTER  FROM  JUDGE   G.  WILLIAMSON,  OF  MONROE   CO. 

Monroe  County,  January  16,  1858. 
J.  T.  K.  Hayward,  Esq. 

Bear  Sir: — Having  received  a  communication  from  you, 
requesting  information  in  regard  to  the  culture  of  tobacco,  I, 
at  the  earliest  convenient  opportunity,  will  give  you  my  views 
in  regard  to  your  inquiry  in  regard  to  the  said  crop. 

In  the  first  place,  you  wished  to  know  what  it  would  cost 
to  raise  a  crop,  and  prepare  it  for  market.  One  good  hand 
can  cultivate  and  save  two  and  a  half  acres  in  ordinary  sea- 
sons, besides  attending  other  crops.  If  his  whole  attention 
v»'as  turned  to  raising  tobacco,  he  could  cultivate  some  five 
acres,  if  the  w^orms  should  not  be  too  numerous,  Avhich  is 
sometimes  the  case.  But  there  have  been  fewer  worms  in 
Missouri  than  there  have  been  in  Kentucky  or  Virginia. 

As  to  preparing  it  for  market,  in  this  country,  there  is  very 
little  preparation  necessary,  as  we  generally  sell  in  the  hand, 
tied  up  in  two  classes,  good  and  lugs,  and  tied  up  in  as  large 
hands  as  you  can  well  hold  in  your  hand ;  and  our  stripping 
and  tieing  up  we  generally  do  in  bad  weather,  when  Are  could 
do  nothing  else  well ;  and  we  generally  sell  in  Hannibal. 

The  cost  of  hauling  to  market  is  from  40  to  50  cents  per 
cwt.  If  we  should  press  in  hogsheads,  we  have  to  tie  it  up 
in  small  hands,  say  about  six  leaves  in  a  hand,  and  to  be  very 
meat  and  very  particular  in  regard  to  the  order  that  it  is  in. 

The  cost  of  pressing  and  furnishing  hogsheads  is  about  two 
dollars  per  cwt.  We  generally  prefer  to  sell  it  in  the  hand, 
as  we  can  get  it  to  market  much  earlier. 

As  to  yield  per  acre,  it  depends  upon  the  season.  In  or- 
dinary seasons,  the  yield  is  from  eight  to  twelve  hundred 
pounds  per  acre ;  and  upon  good  manured  land,  there  may  be 
1,400  lbs.  to  the  acre ;  but  that  is  rather  an  extra  crop. 

As  to  the  price,  it  varies  much.  The  crop  for  1856  was 
sold,  in  this  neighborhood,  for  eight  and  ten  dollars  per  hun- 
dred,  tied  up   in  large   hands,  in   Hannibal.     For   the  year 


RAILROAD   LANDS.  5^ 

1857,  our  crops  sold,  in  this  neighboriiood,  from  $C  to  ^G.50 
per  cwt.,  in  tlio  liand,  tied  up  in  the  same  way. 

There  are  a  few  that  have  not  soUl  at  these  prices.  They 
prefer  pressing  to  selling  at  these  prices ;  but,  for  my  part,  I 
should  always  prefer  selling  in  the  hand  at  the  prices  named. 

As  to  the  quality  of  the  crop,  there  is,  in  my  opinion,  no 
country  better  adapted  to  the  culture  of  tobacco,  nor  would 
the  quality  be  surpassed  anywhere,  if  there  was  sufficient 
inducements  offered  for  the  management  of  the  article ;  but 
the  buyers  generally  give  the  same  price,  in  the  same  neigh- 
borhood, whether  the  article  is  good  or  not.  If  the  buyers 
would  buy  according  to  quality,  and  pay  an  equivalent,  there 
WQuld  be,  then,  some  inducements  for  us  to  take  pains  in 
raising  a  good  article,  and  then,  I  repeat  it,  this  section  of 
the  county  could  not  be  beat  anywhere,  especially  in  the  tim- 
bered lands. 

The  prairies  are  not  so  good  for  tobacco  as  the  timbered 
land,  as  it  is  longer  maturing,  though  we  raise  some  very 
good  tobacco  on  prairie  land,  especially  when  it  is  manured ; 
but  not  so  pretty  an  article  generally.  It  is  rather  dark,  or 
brown,  but  very  heavy. 

I  have  now  answered  your  inquiries  to  the  best  of  my  judg- 
ment, and  I  have  had  a  good  deal  of  experience  in  the  article. 
I  remain  yours  with  respect, 

George  Williamson. 

TOBACCO. 

LETTER  FROM   J.  D.  SMITH,  Esq.,  OF   MACON   COUNTY. 

At  Home,  February  13,  1858. 
J.  T.  K.  Hayward,  JTannihal,  Mo. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  letter,  making  inquiries 
in  relation  to  the  culture  of  tobacco  in  this  county. 

From  some  experience  in  the  businesss,  I  am  prepared  to 
make  the  ."ollowing  statements : 

First. — The  cost  of  raising  and  preparing  an  acre  of  to- 
bacco for  market  is  between  twenty  and  thirty  dollars. 


54  HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH 

Second. — The  average  yield  per  acre  is  about  one  thousand 
pounds. 

Third. — The  price  at  which  sales  are  made,  depends  on  the 
demand  and  quality  of  the  article — usually  ranging  from  four 
to  ten  dollars  per  hundred. 

Fourth. — The  quality  of  the  article  depends  on  the  quality 
of  the  soil  in  which  it  is  grown.  Prairie  land  produces  a 
coarse,  heavy  article,  which  usually  comes  of  a  dark  color. 
Timbered  land  produces  a  finer  article.  This  quality  com- 
mands a  better  price  in  market  than  that  which  is  grown  on 
prairie  land.  Our  best  quality  of  soil,  (which  is  white  oak 
timbered,)  produces  tobacco  which  is  unsurpassed  in  quality 
by  any  other  section  of  the  State. 

Tobacco  raising  is  considered  a  profitable  business  by  those 
engaged  in  it. 

Hands  can  be  employed  in  its  cultivation,  which  are  not 
able  to  perform  heavy  manual  labor.  One  able  hand  can 
cultivate  and  manage  about  five  acres. 

There  is  as  much  tobacco  raised  in  this  county  as  any 
other  in  the  State ;  and  would  be  much  more  if  the  farmers 
could  find  a  ready  market  at  home.* 

Yours  respectfully,  J.  D.  Smith. 

TOBACCO. 

LETTEK  FEOM   COL.  M.  M.  TOWXEE,  OF  MACON   COUNTY. 

Bloomington,  Macon  Co.,  Mo.,  \ 
January  23,  1858.  j 

Col.  Wm.  Carson, 

Sir: — In  answer  to  your  letter  relative  to  my  experience 
in  the  culture  and  management  of  tobacco,  and  the  adaptation 
of  the  soil  of  this  county  to  the  growth  of  the  article,  I  beg 
leave  to  state  that  I  have  produced  the  weed,  and  have  been 
engaged  in  stemming,  pressing,  and  shipping  the  article,  and 
from  my  experience,  I  am  satisfied  the  soil  of  Macon  county 


*  This  will  be  afforded  by  opening  the  road. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  65 

is  well  adapted  to  its  growtli.  A  very  fine  article  of  manu- 
facturing is  produced;  and,  with  proper  management,  an  article 
equal  to  the  best  Virginia  can  be  produced  here.  The  average 
yield  per  acre  is  about  1000  pounds,  though  as  much  as  2,100 
pounds  has  been  produced  to  the  acre,  and  the  article  can  bo 
produced  for  $3  per  100  lbs.  The  average  price  obtained  by 
our  fanners  for  the  last  five  years  is  about  §5  per  100  lbs. 

The  value  of  this  crop  compares  favorably  with  other  crops. 
To  men  of  small  means,  it  pays  better  than  any  other  crop. 
To  men  of  large  means,  stock  raising  pays,  perhaps,  better 
with  us. 

Our  farmers  have  not  as  yet  cultivated  tobacco  extensively, 
but  have  produced  from  $30,000  to  $75,000  worth  per  year. 

With  railroad  facilities  for  transporting  their  crops  to 
market,  its  growth  will  be  greatly  increased,  and  will  yield 
to  the  producer  a  greater  profit. 

Tobacco  growers,  in  my  opinion,  can  find  no  country  more 
favorable  to  a  profitable  production  of  this  article  than  in 
^lacon  county. 

Respectfully,  M.  M.  Towner. 


WHEAT. 
LETTER  FROM  JAMES  GLASSCOCK,  Esq.,  OF  RALLS  COUNTY. 

Saverton  Township,  Ralls  Co.,  Mo.,  \ 
May  24,  1858.  / 

To  William  Carson, 

Secretary  Land  Depariment  H.  ^  St.  Jo.  R.  R. 
Dear  Sir: — In  answer  to  yours,  I  state  that  my  father  set- 
tled in  the  wood  in  1823,  on  what  was  considered  poor  land, 
and  gave  his  attention  to  the  culture  of  wheat  and  other 
grains.  I  might  say,  he  introduced  the  successful  culture  of 
wheat  into  this  part  of  Missouri;  for  up  to  that  time  it  was 
said  that  nearly  all  the  wheat  turned  to  cheat. 

His    first  crop,   in    1823,   of   sixteen    acres,   yielded   thirty 
bushels  per  acre,  supposed,  as  the  ground  was  not  measured. 


56  HANNIBAL   AND    ST.   JOSEPH 

The  wonder  ^-as  that  there  was  so  little  cheat  among    t.     All 
this  crop  was  sold  for  seed,  at  fifty  cents  per  bushel. 

He  continued  to  cultivate  one-third  of  the  cleared  land  in 
wheat  every  year,  making  from  500  to  1000  bushels  a  year, 
never  making  a  failure  —  average  price  about  fifty  cents  per 
bushel — to  the  year  1836,  when  I  succeeded  him  on  the  same 
farm,  where  I  have  continued  to  the  present  time,  never 
having  made  but  one  failure,  in  1857.  Then  I  raised  about 
twenty  bushels  of  spring  wheat  to  the  acre,  on  about  thirty 
acres — the  fall  wheat  being  winter  killed. 

We  did  not  take  the  pains  to  measure  our  ground  or  grain 
until  the  first  Ralls  County  Fair,  held  in  1854.  That  year  I 
got  the  premium  for  the  largest  yield  of  wheat,  without  extra 
preparation,  which  was  a  little  less  than  thirty  bushels  to  the 
acre,  on  five  acres.  My  crop  of  1,200  bushels  sold  at  §2 
per  bushel. 

In  1855,  Mr.  McCormick  got  the  premium  on  the  yield 
of  fifty-eight  bushels  and  sixteen  pounds  to  the  acre.  Public 
opinion  was,  that  there  must  have  been  some  mistake  in  mea- 
surement; but,  on  hearing  the  testimony,  I  am  convinced 
that  it  is  within  a  fraction  of  being  correct.  That  year  I 
got  the  premium  on  oats,  at  seventy-four  bushels  to  the  acre. 
The  next  year  my  neighbor,  Judge  Stout,  obtained  the  pre- 
mium on  wheat  —  yield,  forty-one  bushels  to  the  acre.  My 
crop  that  year  was  a  good  one,  about  2000  bushels,  which 
averaged  me  about  $1.25  per  bushel. 

I  have  not  kept  an  accurate  account  of  my  sales  and  ex- 
penditures to  give  the  net  income,  but  we  make  more  than 
enouch  to  live  on  without  the  wheat.  I  would  remark  that 
the  timbered  lands,  between  the  high  prairies  and  the  bottoms 
on  the  rivers,  are  the  best  for  wheat. 

As  to  my  mode  of  cultivation,  I  have  not  followed  a  uni- 
form system,  because  I  have  been  clearing  land  and  adding 
new  fields  every  year ;  but  I  prefer  fallow  lands,  broken  early 
in  the  summer,  and  kept  bare  of  vegetation  until  September, 
when  it  should  be  sown  or  drilled.  There  is  one  of  my 
neighbors,  Enoch   Symms,  who  has  cultivated  one  piece  of 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  67 

ground  in  wheat  every  year  for  the  hi:^t  eigliteen  years,  witli- 
out  any  decrease,  and  never  missed  a  crop  but  one  year, 
when  it  was  winter  killed. 

I  would  remark,  that  when  my  father  settled  here,  there 
was  but  one  family  living  within  five  miles  of  us,  and  perhaps 
not  one  hundred  bushels  of  wheat  raised ;  and  I  believe,  if 
tiie  season  continues  favorable,  there  will  bo  20,000  bushels 
made  within  five  miles  of  my  house  this  year. 

I  would  remark,  that  the  State  abounds  in  such  a  variety 
of  soil,  that  there  is  no  crop  but  there  is  land  to  suit  it.  The 
hi<;h  bluffs  for  grapes  and  peaches ;  the  hills  for  wheat  and 
other  small  grain ;  the  richest  lands  for  hemp,  corn  •nd  pota- 
toes ;  and  the  watered  lands  for  meadow  and  grass. 

Yours,  etc.,  James  Glasscock. 


GENERAL    CHOPS. 
LETTER  FROM  JAMES  G.  LONGMIRE,  Esq.,  OF  MARIOX  CO. 

Marion  CouNxr,  Mo.,  May  17,  1858. 
To  William  Carson, 

Secretary  Land  Department  H.  ^  St.  Jo.  R.  R. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  your  note  requesting  me  to 
give  you  an  account  of  the  productions  of  my  farm,  cost  of 
producing,  the  gross  amount,  sales  and  net  profits,  and  such 
other  remarks  as  I  might  think  proper  to  make. 

In  reply,  I  have  to  say  that  from  my  farm-book,  I  can 
give  you  a  correct  account  of  sales  from  my  farm,  for  any 
given  year,  since  1848,  and  they  vary  according  to  various 
circumstances,  such  as  the  fruitfulness  of  the  seasons,  state 
of  the  market,  etc.  For  instance^  for  the  year  1848,  my 
sales  were  for  wheat  $490 ;  for  hemp  ?2,384 ;  for  pork  §757 ; 
sundries  §G7  ;  making  a  gross  amount  §3,704. 

I  will  here  also  state,  that  on  the  first  day  of  January, 
1848,  I  took  an  invoice  of  all  my  property,  land,  and  stock 
employed,  and  found  the  aggregate  value  of  which  was  §9,350. 


58  HANNIBAL   AND   ST.   JOSEPH 

My  vrhole  expense  for  labor,  ordinary  family  expenses  in- 
cluded, was  $1,920,  leaving  a  clear  profit  of  $1,784,  being 
about  19  per  cent,  on  the  capital ;  but  it  must  be  noted  that 
I  made  improvements  on  my  farm  worth  $500  or  $600.  My 
sales  for  1850  were  total  $2,843;  expenses,  as  above,  $1,300; 
clear  profits,  $1,543. 

To  produce  the  above,  I  have  employed,  on  an  average,  the 
labor  of  six  hands,  at  a  cost  of  $150  each.  Since  1850,  I 
have  devoted  my  attention  to  feeding  stock,  principally  cattle 
and  hogs,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary  crops  of  wheat,  corn, 
hemp,  oats,  etc.;  and  I  find,  owing  to  the  admirable  adapta- 
tion of  o«r  soil  to  the  different  grasses — blue  grass,  timothy, 
and  clover — that  stock  raising  can  be  made  the  most  profitable 
branch  of  our  agricultural  operations.  In  fact,  I  have  no 
hesitancy  in  saying,  that  from  a  careful  and  close  observation 
for  ten  years,  I  am  fully  convinced  that  Missouri  is  destined 
to  be  the  greatest  grazing  State  in  the  Union. 

I  will  further  state,  that  some  of  the  lands  of  Northeast 
Missouri  have  been  very  much  underrated  in  former  years,  for 
want  of  knowledge  of  the  chemical  properties  of  the  soils, 
and  consequently  not  knowing  the  kind  of  crop  each  variety 
of  soil  is  best  adapted  to  produce.  But  since  the  geological 
survey  of  the  State  by  Prof.  Swallow,  we  have  ascertained 
that  much  of  our  poorest  looking  lands  have  inexhaustible 
stores  of  fertility  lying  under  the  surface,  in  the  form  of 
marl ;  the  subsoil  being,  in  many  places,  superior  to  the  sur- 
face soil. — (Geological  Survey  of  Missouri,  p.  184.) 

I  have  cut  two  tuns  of  timothy  hay  per  acre,  on  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  an  average,  for  six  years. 

I  could  give  you  a  more  minute  account  of  products  and 
sales  for  different  years,  but  I  hope  the  foregoing  will  sufiice. 
Yours  very  respectfully, 

James  G.  Longmire. 


RAILROAD    LANDS.  69 

GENEEAL     CROPS. 
LETTER  FBOM  MAJOK  W.  L.  Ill  VINE,  OF  DE  KALB  CO. 

De  Kalb  County,  Mo.,  January  22,  1858. 

Dear  Sir: — Your  favor  of  the  9th  has  just  been  received, 
rcquestinfj  mo  to  give  you  a  statement  of  the  agricultural  re- 
sources, healthfulness,  etc.,  of  this  portion  of  the  country, 
and  I  hasten  to  answer  in  the  order  presented. 

Timber,  in  this  section  of  the  country,  good ;  as  yet  but 
little  coal  discovered;  average  depth  of  wells  on  upland  thirty 
feet ;  stock  water  abundant ;  supply  of  stone  good ;  clay  an- 
swers well  for  making  bricks.  The  soil  and  climate  are  well 
adapted  to  the  culture  of  hemp ;  the  average  yield  per  acre 
1000  lbs.;  some  crops  under  favorable  culture  have  reached 
1,700  to  the  acre ;  cost  of  raising  and  preparing  the  crop  for 
market,  $1G  per  acre ;  average  price,  the  past  five  years,  has 
been  §90  per  tun,  ready  for  shipment.  Hemp  is  regarded  as 
the  most  profitable  crop. 

The  quantity  of  tobacco  raised  per  acre  is  good ;  the  quality 
not  the  best. 

The  country  is  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  corn  and 
wheat,  especially  wheat.  The  yield  in  all  the  small  grain 
crops  is  large.  Horses,  mules,  cattle,  and  sheep  do  well. 
The  country  is  decidedly  healthy,  and  is  rapidly  improving, 
and  when  our  internal  improvements  are  completed,  will  make 
it  a  great  country. 

Respectfully,  WfLLLAM  L.  Irvine. 

GENERAL    CROPS. 
LETTER  FROM  C.  R.  ROGERS,  Esq.,  OF  MARION  COUNTY. 

Marion  County,  Mo.,  May  17,  1858. 
To  William  Carson, 

Secreiary  Land  Department  U.  ^'  St.  Jo.  R.  R.  Co. 

Dear  Sir: — In  reply  to  your  request  that  I  should  inform 
you  as  to  the  gross  receipts  from  my  farm  for  the  year  18oG, 
from  all  the  productions  thereof,  the  cost  of  producing  the 


60  HANNIBAL    AND    ST.    JOSEPH    RAILROAD    LANDS. 

various  articles,  and  the  net  profits,  I  have  to  state  that  I 
have  not  kept  sufficient  memoranda  to  give  minutely  all  the 
information  you  desire;  but,  from  the  data  I  have,  I  will  give 
you  the  statement,  disregarding  fractions. 

Having  given  to  Mr.  Hayward  a  particular  account  of  the 
culture  of  hemp,  I  need  not  refer  to  that  here,  further  than 
to  say  that  the  receipts  for  my  hemp  crop,  for  the  year  men- 
tioned, amounted  to  the  sum  of  $3,200 ;  receipts  for  pork, 
^1000;  beef,  §1000;  wheat,  $600:  mules,  §2000;  making 
the  gross  receipts  for  the  articles  mentioned,  §7,800.  From 
this  is  to  be  deducted,  for  extra  labor  in  cutting  and  break- 
ing hemp,  $400;  cash  outlay  for  mule  colts,  $1000;  for  stock 
hogs,  $250;  for  cattle,  $130;  cash  outlay  for  family  expenses, 
$500;  amounting  to  $2,280;  which,  deducted  from  $7,800, 
leaves  the  net  balance  $5,520.  I  say  net  balance,  because 
the  receipts  for  fruit  crops,  potatoes,  dairy,  etc.,  Avere  sufficient 
to  pay  merchants'  and  smiths'  bills,  and  all  the  ordinary  ex- 
penses of  the  family,  except  as  above  stated. 

I  have  plow-land  in  cultivation  on  my  farm  310  acres,  and 
to  cultivate  it,  employ  labor  equal  to  six  hands.  Raising  and 
feeding  mules  is  quite  a  profitable  business  here.  Formerly 
colts,  at  weaning,  could  be  bought  at  from  $15  to  $30 ;  but 
recently  have  gone  up  to  from  $40  to  $60,  and  even  as  high  as 
$75;  but  the  price  of  grown  mules  has  advanced  in  proportion, 
and  the  profits  on  feeding  mules  from  one  to  two  years  ranges 
from  40  to  100  per  cent.  Oats  is  a  very  certain  and  pro- 
ductive crop  here,  and  our  highland  prairies  are  admirably 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  timothy  and  other  grasses. 

C.  R.  Rogers. 


1853.  SiST  lillE  Id  TIE  EIST  ilTE.  M  Ml  1853. 

\IIJ  11  III 


j^  I  Xj  n  O  j^  13 , 

Savin?  tiresoino  S(au;inp:,  ledioiis  navl;i::itlon  on  the  .Mis- 
souri River,  and  Trom  4  to  G  dajs  ilme 

To  Chicago,  Alton,  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  Dotroit,  Toledo,  Buffalo, 
Milwaukee,  Louisville,  Lexington,  Nashville,  New  York, 
Boston,  Baltimore,  Montreal,  Quebec,  Washington, 
Pittsburg,   New    Orleans,   Memphis,   Galena, 
Dubuque,  Burlington,  Davenport,  Cleve- 
land, Quincy,  and  all  points  East, 
North,  and  South. 

Passpn^rcr  trains  leave  St.  Josepli  fi)r  Hannibal  mornins;  and  cvenin" 
iif>«>n  arrival  of  Ifailmail  Packets  from  Kansas  City,  Loavenwortli,  an'd 
fn.iu  Onialia  and  Neliraska  City,  tind  the  daily  Starred  from  interii)r 
t.wris  in  the  'J'erritorics  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  and  from  Iowa  and 
tjuiithwestern  Missimri. 

New  and  cuniniodiiiiis  Staples,  from  Lexington  and  IJiohmond,  Mo. 
connect  daily  with  trains  on  the  llannibarand  i<t.  Joseph  |{aiiroa(L 
pjini:  east  and  west.  Also,  from  Turis,  Mo.,  Stages  connect  ut  tSholbina 
with   liailruad  trains  east  and  west 

'iVains  ^oing  Kast  connect  closely  with  Packets  at  Hannibal,  for  St 
Louis,  and  with  trains  for  Chicago,  Toledo,  and  the  Kast. 

Time  between  St.  .loseph  and  Chicago,  1^(1  hours;  St.  I.oiiis,  22  hours- 
Quincy,  13  hours;  'I'oledo,  .iO  hours;  Cincinnati,  37  hours;  Louisville 
3')  lumrs;  .New  York,  GO  hours;  Boston,  03  hours;  i'liiladclphia  uud 
Ktltiniore,  50  hours. 

The  Sicanicrs  comprising  the  Ilannibal  and  St  Joseph  Railroad  lines 
of  I'lussenger  I'ackets,  on  the  .Missouri  and  .Mississippi,  are  elegant,  and 
run  in  close  connection  with  trains  on  this  road.  No  extra  char-'e  lor 
meals  or  stiiteroonis  while  on  the  boats.  '" 

iJaggnge  checked  through  to  Chicago  and  St  Louis,  and  handled  free. 

Through   tickets  to  all   Kiustern,  Northern,  and   Southern  points,  may 
■  had    at    the    Hannibal    and    St   Josejih    ivailnjad    offices,  at    Kansiui 
l-L-avenworth,  Atchison,  Nebraska   City,  Omaha,  and   on    the    Stcumerj 
ul  the  line. 

I'assengers  going  East  will  find  this  t|ip  most  comfortable  and  frpe- 

tiutia  route,  and  shippers  of  jrti<jhl  will  secure  di.spuldi,  careful  attcn- 
.   /«,  and  UuHiUiiKj  iffeijlit,  ami  s.wk  all  i.nslua.nck. 
P.  H.  CKOAT,  (ieneral  Ticket  Agent,  ) 
JUliN  AYEK,  General  I-Veight  Agent,  }  "an^ibal,  llo. 

J.  T.  K.  IlAYWAKl),  Superintendent,  Hannibal,  Mo, 

V^  For   Westward  connections,  turn  over. 


im    l'IO\EER  ItOLTE  TO  THE  FAR  WEST.    18-M. 

milL  I S!.  JOSEPH 

I  OF  3^d:IssoxJI^I. 

150  Miles  farther  West  than  any  other  Railroad.     Saving  from 

4  to  6  days  travel,  and  tedious  navigation  of  the 

Missouri  River. 

To  Kansas,  Nebraska,  St.  Joseph,  Leavenworth  City,  Kansas 

City,  Omaha,  Council  Bluffs,  Topeka,  Lawrence,  Lecomp- 

ton.  Port  Riley,  Weston,  Nebraska  City,  Fort   Scott, 

Lexington,  Richmond,  and  Paris,  and  all  points  in 

North  Missouri,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  South- 

^  ern  and  Western  Iowa* 

Passenger  trains  leave  Hannibal  daily,  morning  and  evening,  for  St. 
Joseph,  upon  arrival  of  the  Railroad  packets  from  Quincy,  Alton,  and  St. 
L^iis. 

Trains  connect  closely  with  Railroad  lines  of  first  class  Packets,  running 
UD  and  down  flie  Missouri  river  fi'oin  St.  Joseph,  for  Nebraska  City,  Omaha, 
Council   Dluffs,  Atchison,  Weslon,  Leavenworth,  and   Kansas  City. 

Tiie  Packets  to  Leavenworth  or  Kansas  City  connect  with  Stages  to  Law- 
rence, Leconipton,  Topeka,  Fort  Riley,  Fort  Scott,  Ossowattomie,  and  Man- 
hadtan.  Also.'at  St.  Joseph,  close  connections  are  made  with  Stage  lines  to 
Lftompton,  Lawrence,  Topeka,  Fort  Riley,  and  all  points  in  the  Territories, 
and  especially  where  Governtnent  Land   Offices  ai"e  open. 

.New  and  cotniuodious  Stages  run  daily  from  Hamilton  Station,  on  the 
II.  &  St.  Jo.  R.  R.,  to  Lexington  and  Richmond,  Mo.;  also  from  Sbclbina  to 
Paris,  .Mo. 

.Denver  City  and  S.alt  Lake  Express  leaves  St.  Joseph  daily  for  the  new 
Cold  mines.  Fare  from  St.  Joseph  to  Denver  City,  $125.00.  This  is  a  relia- 
ble express  company,  and  they  ai-e  responsible  for  their  contracts. 

Shippers  of  freight  save  from  4  to  ii  day.i,  and  all  insurance. 

AW  the  Packets  on  the  Hannibal  and  St.  .loseph  Ruilroad  line  are  elegant 
Steamers,  and  are  run  expressly  to  connect  with  this  road.  No  extra  charge 
for  nie;ils  or  staterooms  while  on  the  Packets  of  this  Company. 

Ewiyranis  desiring  to  accompany  tlieir  stock,  may  depend  on  going  through 
hy  faxt  /viy tit  express  train.     Frrighl  taken  at  Unovsl  river  rates. 

Passengers  going  west  are  requested  to  consider  the  advantages  this  route 
possesses  over  all  others. 

Through   Tickets  at   all   principal  Railroad    and    Steamboat  offices.      For 
further  information  and  contracts,  apply  to  any  Railroad  office,  or  to 
J.  Q.  A.   BEAN,  Eastern  H-affic  Agent,  Boston, 
J.  W.  BURCII,     Southern      "  "        Cincinnati, 

J.  II.  BOWKN,  General  Agent,  St.  Louis, 
JOHN  AVER,  General  Freight  Agent,   Hannibal,  Mo. 
P.  B.  GUOAT,  General  Ticket  Agent, 
J.  T.  K.  HAYWARD,  Superintendent,  Hannibal,  Mo. 


M 

1 
Lithomount       i 

TT     » 

Pamphlet 

Binder           i 

■'^■■4 

Gaylord  Bros. 

1 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 

PitI   1AN?I.  ISM          I 

A 


*^'' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

977  8H19H  C001  

THE  HANNIBAL  AND  ST  JOSEPH  RAILROAD  COM 


3  0112  025416022 


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